Hadith Al-Thaqalayn, the Deposed Will of the Last Prophet to Humanity

BOOK ID

Author(s): Toyib Olawuyi

Category: Sunni Shi’a

Topic Tags: Ahadith Miscellaneous information: Hadith Al-Thaqalayn, the Deposed Will of the Last Prophet to Humanity.

By: Toyib Olawuyi.

point

This research work addresses all four Sunni positions on the hadiths, with particular emphasis on the claims and submissions of Ibn Taymiyyah. This work prove, with abundant references, the existence and authenticity of Hadith al-Thaqalayn and Hadith al-Khalifatayn, in the most authentic Sunni books – including Sahih Muslim – with perfectly authentic chains of narration!

Dedication

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

هو الحبیب الذی ترجی شفاعته

لکل هول من الأهوال مقتحم

مولای صلی وسلم دائماً ابدا

علی حبیبک وعترته أهل بیته

خیر خلقک کلهم

This book is dedicated to Imam al-Hasan and Imam al-Husayn,

peace be upon them both.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Tural Islam, Aneela Sultan, Ali Baker, Nader Zaveri, Ammaar Muslim, Ahmad Olawuyi, Sa’dudeen Mahmud (Alfa Tira), Lukman Ibrahim, and the following brothers and sisters, for their encouragement: Shaykh Muhammad Nura Dass, Shaykh Muhibullah ‘Ali, Shaykh Abu Bakr Bello Salati, Waheed Afolabi, Dr. ‘Abdullateef Saliu, Mikail Zakariyah, Ra’ouf Ali-Zadeh, Jafar Mer, Steve Davies, Jaffer Abbas, Jibreel Ibn Mikael, Muhammad Ali Khalil, Ahmed Hakim, Hassan Bokhari, Syed Jarry Haider, Omidiji Nurudeen, Ibrahim Olasunkonmi Bello, Kassim Agbonika Salihu, Ilani Abubakar, Mounir Bahsoun, Kamal Ishmael, Bilal Bernard Nolan, Dylan Esteban, Aquib Mehdi Rizvi, Syed Ali Raza, Sajjad Abu Ja’far Baktash, Radwan Hamoud, Akram Abbas, Ali Hussnain, Nader Carun, Henna Rai, Rizziandrie Zairul, Nasir Hasan, Sayed Umaar Kazmi, and Hussain Ali Nasser. May Allah bless them all and all our loving brothers and sisters

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from the Shi’ah Imamiyyah and the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah.

Preface

The Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah generally boycott the teachings of the Twelve Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, ‘alaihim al-salam. In fact, our Shaykh, Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 H), seems to be very proud about this:

قال الرافضی و فی الفقه الفقهاء یرجعون إلیه

و الجواب أن هذا کذب بین فلیس فی الأئمه الأربعه و لا غیرهم من أئمه الفقهاء من یرجع إلیه فی فقهه

أما مالک فان علمه عن أهل المدینه و أهل المدینه لا یکادون یأخذون بقول علی بل اخذوا فقههم عن الفقهاء السبعه عن زید و عمر و ابن عمر و نحوهم

أما الشافعی فانه تفقه أولا علی المکیین أصحاب ابن جریج کسعید بن سالم القداح و مسلم بن خالد الزنجی و ابن جریج اخذ ذلک عن أصحاب ابن عباس کعطاء و غیره و ابن عباس کان مجتهدا مستقلا و کان إذا أفتی بقول الصحابه أفتی بقول أبی بکر و عمر لا بقول علی و کان ینکر علی علی أشیاء ثم أن الشافعی اخذ عن مالک ثم کتب کتب أهل العراق و اخذ مذاهب أهل الحدیث و اختار لنفسه

و أما أبو حنیفه فشیخه الذی اختص به حماد بن أبی سلیمان و حماد عن إبراهیم و إبراهیم عن علقمه و علقمه عن ابن مسعود و قد اخذ أبو حنیفه عن عطاء و غیره

و أما الإمام احمد فکان علی مذهب أهل الحدیث اخذ عن ابن عیینه و ابن عیینه عن عمرو بن دینار عن ابن عباس و ابن عمر و اخذ عن هشام بن بشیر و هشام عن أصحاب الحسن و إبراهیم النخعی

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و اخذ عن عبد الرحمن بن مهدی و وکیع بن الجراح و أمثالهما و جالس الشافعی و اخذ عن أبی یوسف و اختار لنفسه قولا و کذلک إسحاق بن راهویه وابو عبید ونحوهم

و الاوزاعی و اللیث اکثر فقههما عن أهل المدینه و أمثالهم لا عن الکوفیین

The Rafidhi said: “In fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), the (Sunni) jurists used to reference him (i.e. ‘Ali).”

The answer is that this is a plain lie. There was none among the four Imams and others from the Imams of the jurists who referenced him (i.e. ‘Ali) in his fiqh.

As for Malik, his knowledge was from the people of al-Madinah, and the people of al-Madinah barely took the words of ‘Ali. Rather, they took their fiqh from the seven jurists: from Zayd, ‘Umar, Ibn ‘Umar, and their likes.

As for al-Shafi’i, he learnt fiqh primarily came from the Makkans, the companions of Ibn Jurayj, such as Sa’id b. Salim al-Qadah and Muslim b. Khalid al-Zanji. Meanwhile, Ibn Jurayj took that from the companions of Ibn ‘Abbas, like ‘Ata and others; and Ibn ‘Abbas was an independent mujtahid who used to rely upon the words of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, and not upon those of ‘Ali, whenever he passed fatwas with the words of the Sahabah. Moreover, he (Ibn ‘Abbas) used to reject things from ‘Ali. Besides, al-Shafi’i took from Malik, (and) then wrote the books of the people of Iraq, and followed the schools of the Ahl al-Hadith, and chose (them) for himself.

As for Abu Hanifah, his special shaykh

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was Hammad b. Abi Sulayman; and Hammad learnt from Ibrahim; and Ibrahim learnt from ‘Alqamah; and Alqamah learned from Ibn Mas’ud. Abu Hanifah also took from ‘Ata and others.

As for Imam Ahmad, he followed the school of the Ahl al-Hadith. He took from Ibn ‘Uyaynah; and Ibn ‘Uyaynah took from ‘Amr b. Dinar, who took from Ibn ‘Abbas and Ibn ‘Umar. He (i.e. Ahmad) also took from Hisham b. Bashir; and Hisham took from the companions of al-Hasan (al-Basri) and Ibrahim al-Nakha’i. He (i.e. Ahmad) further took from ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Mahdi, Waki’ b. al-Jarrah and similar people. He (i.e. Ahmad) equally attended the assemblies of al-Shafi’i, and took from Abu Yusuf and adopted a statement for himself, and also Ishaq b. Rahwayh, Abu ‘Ubayd and others like them.

As for al-Awza’i and al-Layth, most of their fiqh was from the people of al-Madinah and their likes, and not from the people of Kufah.(1)

In simpler words, none of the Sunni schools of jurisprudence contains the teachings of ‘Ali, al-Hasan, al-Husayn and the other Imams from the offspring of the Prophet, ‘alaihim al-salam ajma’in. The Sunni Imams generally shunned their inputs and riwayat in al-fiqh.

But, the Sunni boycott was not limited to al-fiqh. Even in the reportage of tafasir and ahadith, the Ahl al-Sunnah boycott the Ahl al-Bayt. Ibn Taymiyyah confirms:

وهذه کتب الحدیث والتفسیر مملوءه بالآثار عن الصحابه والتابعین والذی فیها عن علی قلیل جدا

These are books of hadith and tafsir, filled with reports from the Sahabah and Tabi’in. What is

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1- Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad b. ‘Abd al-Halim b. Taymiyyah al-Harrani, Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah (Muasassat Qurtubah; 1st edition, 1406 H) [annotator: Dr. Muhammad Rashad Salim], vol. 7, pp. 529-531

recorded in them from ‘Ali is very little.(1)

He also submits:

قال الرافضی أما المالکیه فاخذوا علمهم عنه و عن أولاده

و الجواب أن هنا کذب ظاهر فهذا موطأ مالک لیس فیه عنه و لا عن أحد أولاده إلا قلیل جدا و جمهور ما فیه عن غیرهم فیه عن جعفر تسعه أحادیث و لم یرو مالک عن أحد من ذریته إلا عن جعفر و کذلک الأحادیث التی فی الصحاح و السنن و المساند منها قلیل عن ولده و جمهور ما فیها عن غیرهم

The Rafidhi said: “As for the Malikis, they took their knowledge from him (i.e. ‘Ali) and from his (i.e. ‘Ali’s) offspring.”

The answer is that there is an apparent lie here. This is Muwatta of Malik. What is recorded in it from him (i.e. ‘Ali) or any of his offspring is very little. Most of what is in it is from other than them. There are nine ahadith from Ja’far (al-Sadiq) in it, and Malik did not record from ANY of his (i.e. ‘Ali’s) offspring except from Ja’far. This is also the case with what is recorded in the Sahih books, the Sunan books, and the Musnad books. What is recorded in them from his (i.e. ‘Ali’s) offspring is little. The generality of what is recorded in them is from others.(2)

Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah still has more words about the Ahl al-Bayt:

والمتقدمون منهم کعلی بن الحسین وابنه أبی جعفر وابنه جعفر بن محمد قد نقل عنهم من العلم قطعه معروفه وأخذ عن غیرهم أکثر من ذلک بکثیر کثیر وأما من بعدهم فالعلم المأخوذ

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1- Ibid, vol. 8, p. 43
2- Ibid, vol. 7, p. 531

عنهم قلیل جدا

The early ones among them, such as ‘Ali b. al-Husayn (Zayn al-‘Abidin) and his son, Abu Ja’far (al-Baqir), and his son, Ja’far b. Muhammad (al-Sadiq), a known FRACTION of knowledge was transmitted from them. However, what is recorded from other than them is far, far more than that. As for those after them (from the Ahl al-Bayt), the knowledge that was taken from them was very little.(1)

It was indeed a very widespread, and very deep, boycott of the Ahl al-Bayt by the Ahl al-Sunnah. Meanwhile, even if a Sunni today decided to follow the Ahl al-Bayt, he would be unable to do so through the Sunni books. There is “very little” of their teachings and narrations in the books of the Ahl al-Sunnah.

The dilemma here gets even more serious when one considers that the Messenger of Allah had ordered his whole Ummah – including all his Sahabah, the Tabi’in, the Tabi’ al-Tabi’in - to take ‘Ali and his offspring - his Ahl al-Bayt – as khalifahs after him, and to follow them in absolutely everything, in order to remain truly upon the Kitab and the Sunnah. But, how does a Sunni adhere to these Prophetic decrees without abandoning the Sunni school? The answer seems impossible to determine. Sunni Islam, apparently, feeds upon disobedience of the said decrees. So, what does a Sunni do in this confusion?

The ‘ulama of the Ahl al-Sunnah have adopted four different attitudes to the decrees – contained in Hadith al-Thaqalayn and its branch,

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1- Ibid, vol. 4, p. 108

Hadith al-Khalifatayn. Some of them, such as our own Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah, have taken the easy way by denying the authenticity of the ahadith in the Sunni books. This seemingly saves them the trouble of dealing with the consequences of the apparent Sunni boycott of the Ahl al-Bayt. Some other Sunni ‘ulama however accept the authenticity of the riwayat but prefer to rather re-interpret “hold fast to” in them as meaning to simply “love” the Messenger’s offspring and to “be kind to” them!

The third category of Sunni scholars agree that the ahadith are sahih, and that they really command the whole Ummah to obey and follow the blessed offspring of Muhammad. But, they insist that the Ahl al-Sunnah are actually followers and subjects of the Ahl al-Bayt! The fourth group within the Sunni clergy, meanwhile, calmly ply the cheapest route: dead silence on the ahadith. They simply never mention, talk or write about Hadith al-Thaqalayn and Hadith al-Khalifatayn under any circumstance! This obviously reduces the “threat” posed by the riwayat and keeps the Sunni ride smooth and steady.

This research work of ours addresses all four Sunni positions on the hadiths, with particular emphasis on the claims and submissions of Ibn Taymiyyah. We prove, with abundant references, the existence and authenticity of Hadith al-Thaqalayn and Hadith al-Khalifatayn, in the most authentic Sunni books – including Sahih Muslim – with perfectly authentic chains of narration! We thoroughly investigate the various chains of the riwayat, and also quote certifications of their authenticity

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by top Sunni hadithists like ‘Allamah al-Albani, Shaykh al-Arnaut and others. We equally carefully analyze the texts of the two hadiths, as well as those of relevant others, in order to determine their true messages. Our aim, obviously, is to leave no one with any excuse before Allah on the Day of al-Qiyamah.

We sincerely hope that this work will be highly beneficial to every human being who is truthfully searching for the only correct Path to Allah. In this book, we have used the same strict investigative and transparent research methodology which we employed in our first, second and third books. We implore Allah to forgive us all our mistakes, and to accept this as a worthy act of ‘ibadah. And may Allah send His salawat and barakat upon our master, Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah, and upon his purified offspring.

1) Hadith Al-Thaqalayn: The Prophet At ‘Arafat (Part 1)

It was 10 H (632 CE), during the last Hajj of the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi. Muslims from all corners of the then Islamic world had gathered together at ‘Arafat for the prescribed pilgrimage rites, under his leadership and guidance. It was here that the Prophet delivered one of the most significant sermons in the entire history of humankind. Imam al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 H) records what happened:

حدثنا نصر بن عبد الرحمن الکوفی حدثنا زید بن الحسن هو الأنماطی عن جعفر بن محمد عن أبیه عن جابر بن عبد الله قال رأیت رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم فی حجته یوم عرفه وهو علی ناقته القصواء

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یخطب فسمعته یقول یا أیها الناس إنی قد ترکت فیکم ما إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا کتاب الله وعترتی أهل بیتی

Nasr b. ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Kufi – Zayd b. al-Hasan al-Anmati – Ja’far b. Muhammad – his father – Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah:

I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, during his Hajj on the Day of ‘Arafat while he was on his camel, al-Qaswa, delivering a sermon, and I heard him saying: “O mankind! I have left behind over you(1) that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt.”(2)

Al-Tirmidhi says on the riwayah:

وهذا حدیث حسن غریب من هذا الوجه و زید بن الحسن قد روی عنه سعید بن سلیمان وغیر واحد من أهل العلم

And this hadith is hasan gharib (i.e. has a hasan chain) from this route. As for Zayd b. al-Hasan, Sa’id b. Sulayman and others from the people of knowledge have narrated from him.(3)

‘Allamah al-Albani also has a simple comment:

صحیح

Sahih(4)

In his al-Sahihah, the ‘Allamah further states:

"یا أیها الناس! إنی قد ترکت فیکم ما إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا، کتاب الله

وعترتی أهل بیتی ".

أخرجه الترمذی (2 / 308) والطبرانی (2680) عن زید بن الحسن الأنماطی عن جعفر عن أبیه عن جابر بن عبد الله قال: " رأیت رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم فی حجته یوم عرفه، وهو علی ناقته القصواء یخطب، فسمعته یقول: " فذکره، وقال: " حدیث حسن غریب من هذا الوجه، وزید بن الحسن قد روی عنه سعید بن سلیمان

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1- The word used in the hadith is fikum. This author himself previously translated it as “among you” or “amongst you”. However, upon further research, he concluded that the main preposition used – fi - has the following definitions in classical Arabic: “above”, “over”, “on”, “among”, “amongst”, and “in”. For instance, ‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) has stated concerning the phrase “fi” in his al-Sahihah, vol. 2, p. 715, 925-12 (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma’arif; 1st edition, 1415 H): قوله تعالی: {أأمنتم من فی السماء}؛ أی: علی السماء؛ أی: فوق العرش، وبذلک فسرها علماء السلف والخلف -ومنهم ابن عبد البر فی "التمهید"، والبیهقی فی کتابیه: "الأسماء" و"الاعتقاد" The Statement of Allah the Most High: {Do you feel secure that He Who is over [fi] the heaven} [67:16], meaning: over the sky; meaning: above the Throne. This is how the scholars of the Salaf and the Khalaf – among them Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr in al-Tamhid and al-Bayhaqi in his books – al-Asma and al-I’tiqad - have interpreted it. Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) also writes in his Mukhtasar al-’Uluw li al-‘Aliyy al-‘Azim (al-Maktab al-Islami; 2nd edition, 1412 H)[annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], pp. 245-246, 298: قال أبو عبد الله الحاکم: قال الفقیه أبو بکر أحمد بن إسحاق الضبعی النیسابوری: قد تضع العرب "فی" موضع "علی" قال الله تعالی: {فسیحوا فی الأرض} وقال: {ولأصلبنکم فی جذوع النخل} ومعناه علی الأرض وعلی النحل، فکذلک قوله: {من فی السماء} أی من علی العرش، کما صحت الأخبار عن رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم. Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Hakim said: The jurist, Abu Bakr Ahmad b. Ishaq al-Dhab’i al-Naysaburi said: “The Arabs have used fi to mean ‘ala (above, over). Allah the Most High says: {So travel freely [fi] over the earth} [9:2]. He also says: {I will surely crucify you [fi] above the trunks of date-palms} [20:71]. Its meaning is ‘over the earth’ and ‘over the date-palms’. This is also the case with His Statement {Who is over [fi] the heaven}, meaning, Who is over the Throne, as sahih reports have indicated from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.” The same term has been used in Hadith al-Thaqalayn. We now believe that it means “over” and “above” in the hadith because the Messenger of Allah was NOT placing the Qur’an and his offspring on equal footing with us in it. Rather, he was ordering us to “adhere” to them – thereby placing them above us, making them our leaders.
2- Abu ‘Isa Muhammad b. ‘Isa al-Sulami al-Tirmidhi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih Sunan al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 5, p. 662 3786
3- Ibid
4- Ibid

وغیر واحد من أهل العلم ".

قلت: قال أبو حاتم، منکر الحدیث، وذکره ابن حبان فی " الثقات ". وقال الحافظ: " ضعیف ".

قلت: لکن الحدیث صحیح، فإن له شاهدا من حدیث زید بن أرقم

“O mankind! I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt.”

Al-Tirmidhi (2/308) and al-Tabarani (2680) recorded it from Zayd b. al-Hasan al-Anmati from Ja’far from his father from Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah, who said: “I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, during his Hajj on the Day of ‘Arafat while he was on his camel, al-Qaswa, delivering a sermon, and I heard him saying” Then he (al-Tirmidhi) quoted it (i.e. the hadith), and said: “And this hadith is hasan gharib (i.e. has a hasan chain) from this route. As for Zayd b. al-Hasan, Sa’id b. Sulayman and others from the people of knowledge have narrated from him.”

I (al-Albani) say: Abu Hatim said: “Munkar al-hadith” and Ibn Hibban mentioned him in al-Thiqat (The Trustworthy Narrators). Al-Hafiz said: “Dha’if”.

I (al-Albani) say: But the hadith is sahih, for – verily - it has a witness (shahid) in the hadith of Zayd b. Arqam.(1)

These words of al-Albani explain his methodology in grading the hadith as sahih. Unlike al-Tirmidhi, he considers the chain of the report to be dha’if (weak), due to Zayd b. al-Hasan al-Anmati. However, he believes that the Messenger did truly utter those words – as

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1- Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihah wa Shayhun min Fiqhihah wa Fawaidihah (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma’arif li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1415 H), vol. 4, pp. 355-356, 1761

evidenced by the report of Zayd b. Arqam – at a location other than ‘Arafat.

The claim that the Prophet delivered the hadith at ‘Arafat, in addition to other places, comes only through the sanad of al-Anmati. As such, if his chain is dha’if, then it would be impossible to prove that those words were ever uttered at ‘Arafat – even though there is no doubt that he said them at another place. Meanwhile, Imam al-Tirmidhi believed that the Messenger of Allah declared the hadith at ‘Arafat, and later at Ghadir Khumm(1). ‘Allamah al-Albani explains how:

أقول: وجه ذلک أن جمع الترمذی بین لفظتی " غریب " و" حسن " إنما یعنی فی اصطلاحه أنه حسن لذاته

I say: The reason for that is whenever al-Tirmidhi says “hasan gharib”, he only means in his terminologies that its chain is independently hasan.(2)

So, basically, al-Tirmidhi considers al-Anmati to be reliable, and his sanad to be hasan.

We could then conclude the following from the research up to this level:

Al-Tirmidhi considers the chain of al-Anmati to be independently hasan while al-Albani grades the same sanad as dha’if.

It is only the sanad of al-Anmati which establishes that the hadith was pronounced at ‘Arafat too, in addition to Ghadir Khumm. Therefore, if the chain is dha’if, then there would be no evidence that the Prophet of Allah ever said those words at ‘Arafat.

To al-Tirmidhi, the Messenger uttered delivered the hadith at ‘Arafat, and later at Ghadir Khumm. However, in the opinion of al-Albani, it is NOT established that

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1- We will later in this book present sahih Sunni reports – by Zayd b. Arqam and others - of the pronouncement of the hadith at a place called Ghadir Khumm.
2- Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Dha’ifah wa al-Mawdhu’ah wa Atharihah al-Sayyiah fi al-Ummah (Riyadh: Dar al-Ma’arif; 1st edition, 1412 H), vol. 2, p. 185, 764

the Prophet made the statement at ‘Arafat, even though it is true that he said them later at Ghadir Khumm.

In rejecting the reliability of Zayd b. al-Hasan al-Anmati, ‘Allamah al-Albani has only Abu Hatim (d. 277 H) as his principal authority:

“وزید بن الحسن قد روی عنه سعید بن سلیمان وغیر واحد من أهل العلم ".

قلت: قال أبو حاتم، منکر الحدیث، وذکره ابن حبان فی " الثقات ". وقال الحافظ: " ضعیف ".

(Al-Tirmidhi said): “As for Zayd b. al-Hasan, Sa’id b. Sulayman and others from the people of knowledge have narrated from him.”

I (al-Albani) say: Abu Hatim said: “Munkar al-hadith” and Ibn Hibban mentioned him in al-Thiqat (The Trustworthy Narrators). Al-Hafiz said: “Dha’if”.

We therefore know the following about al-Anmati:

Imam Ibn Hibban (d. 354 H) considers him thiqah (trustworthy), and has therefore included him in his al-Thiqat.

Imam al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 H) accepts al-Anmati’s ahadith as being independently hasan. This shows that he considers him reliable, most probably saduq (very truthful) in status.

Imam Abu Hatim (d. 277 H) calls him munkar al-hadith, meaning that his ahadith are “rejected”, very weak.

Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani (d. 852 H) also declares al-Anmati to be dha’if.

Needless to say, Abu Hatim was the only classical scholar who deemed al-Anmati to be unreliable. Therefore, al-Hafiz – a much later scholar – apparently only adopted this negative rating.

As such, the primary, uncorroborated source of the criticism against al-Anmati was Abu Hatim only.

Al-Hafiz relied upon the statements of the classical scholars to classify narrators. Since Abu Hatim was the sole classical

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critic of al-Anmati, then al-Hafiz had certainly relied only upon the former for his “dha’if” grading.

All these point in one direction only: Abu Hatim is the sole, unsupported primary critic of al-Anmati. We confirm absolutely too that no other classical Sunni hadith scientist levelled any criticism against al-Anmati apart from Abu Hatim. Therefore, if the criticism of Abu Hatim falls, then everything against al-Anmati collapses with it. So, we ask: what is the probative value of uncorroborated testimonies of Abu Hatim concerning narrators? Imam al-Dhahabi provides the apposite answer:

إذا وثق أبو حاتم رجلا فتمسک بقوله، فإنه لا یوثق إلا رجلا صحیح الحدیث، وإذا لین رجلا، أو قال فیه: لا یحتج به. فتوقف حتی تری ما قال غیره فیه، فإن وثقه أحد، فلا تبن علی تجریح أبی حاتم، فإنه متعنت فی الرجال

When Abu Hatim declared a narrator to be thiqah (trustworthy), then hold fast to his statement, because he never declared a narrator to be thiqah except a narrator whose ahadith are sahih. When he weakened a narrator, or said about him “he is not accepted as a hujjah”, then pause until you have seen what others also said about him (i.e. that narrator). If there was A SINGLE other person who declared him (i.e. the narrator) to be thiqah (trustworthy), then do NOT adopt the criticism of Abu Hatim, because he was pigheaded in rijal.(1)

Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani also says about a narrator:

وفی المیزان أن أبا حاتم قال لا یحتج به فینتظر فی ذلک وأبو حاتم عنده عنت وقد احتج

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1- Shams al-Din Muhammad b. Ahmad b. ‘Uthman al-Dhahabi, Siyar A’lam al-Nubala (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 9th edition, 1413 H), vol. 13, p. 260, 129

به الجماعه

In al-Mizan, it is stated that Abu Hatim said “He is not accepted as a hujjah”. But, watch that carefully. There was pigheadedness in Abu Hatim. He (the narrator) has been accepted as a hujjah by the majority.(1)

This is self-explanatory and straightforward:

Whenever Abu Hatim was the only classical critic against a narrator, then investigation must be conducted to find out if any other classical hadithist contradicted him.

If there was a single classical hadith scientist who contradicted Abu Hatim, then the latter’s criticism must be rejected.

Abu Hatim was the only classical critic of al-Anmati, and he was contradicted by both al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban.

As such, the criticism of Abu Hatim is worthless, and al-Anmati is indeed reliable – whether thiqah (trustworthy) or saduq (very truthful) – as indicated by Ibn Hibban and al-Tirmidhi.

With these findings, it is neatly established that the chain of al-Anmati is sahih, or at least hasan, as declared by Imam al-Tirmidhi. This in turn proves that the Prophet of Allah did truly deliver Hadith al-Thaqalayn at ‘Arafat, among other places.

2) Hadith Al-Thaqalayn: The Prophet At ‘Arafat (Part 2)

As we have established, it is without doubt that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, said these words to the people at ‘Arafat during his last Hajj:

یا أیها الناس إنی قد ترکت فیکم ما إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا کتاب الله وعترتی أهل بیتی

O mankind! I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah and my offspring, my Ahl

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1- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani al-Shafi’i, Hadi al-Sari Muqaddimah Fath al-Bari (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi; 4th edition, 1408 H), p. 441

al-Bayt.

So, what exactly was he trying to tell the world? Imam al-Mubarakfuri (d. 1282 H) quotes this under his commentary of the hadith:

قال القاری والمراد بالأخذ بهم التمسک بمحبتهم ومحافظه حرمتهم والعمل بروایتهم والاعتماد علی مقالتهم وهو لا ینافی أخذ السنه من غیرهم لقوله صلی الله علیه وسلم أصحابی کالنجوم بأیهم اقتدیتم اهتدیتم ولقوله تعالی فاسألوا أهل الذکر إن کنتم لا تعلمون

Al-Qari said: “The meaning of holding fast to them is to adhere to their love, to protect their honour, to follow their narrations, and to rely upon their opinions. This does not negate the taking of the Sunnah from other than them, due to his statement, peace be upon him “My Sahabah are like the stars. Whichever of them you follow, you will be rightly guided” and due to His Statement, Exalted be He: “Ask the people of al-Dhikr if you do not know.”(1)

Al-Qari apparently admits that Hadith al-Thaqalayn commands the Ummah to follow the offspring of the Prophet, ‘alaihim al-salam, after him. His argument, however, is that we should also follow the Sahabah in addition to the Ahl al-Bayt. There are two fatal problems with his submission. First, the hadith he is relying upon is unreliable.

It is graded mawdhu (fabricated) by ‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H)(2). Secondly, Hadith al-Thaqalayn is addressed to all “mankind” – and that naturally included all the Sahabah, the Tabi’in, the Tabi’ al-Tabi’in, the Four Imams, al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Taymiyyah, Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Wahhab, Ibn Baz, Ibn al-‘Uthaymin and others. All of them,

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1- Abu al-‘Ala Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Mubarakfuri, Tuhfat al-Ahwazi bi Sharh Jami’ al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1410 H), vol. 10, p. 196
2- Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Dha’ifah wa al-Mawdhu’ah wa Atharihah al-Sayyiah fi al-Ummah (Riyadh: Dar al-Ma’arif; 1st edition, 1412 H), vol. 1, p. 144, 58

without a single exception, were under a strict divine obligation to follow the offspring of Muhammad in everything. The hadith has a general wording, and nothing has been excluded under its order.

Therefore, all humanity from the moment our Prophet left this world till the Last Hour must follow his Ahl al-Bayt in absolutely everything. So, basically, the Sahabah are not supposed to be followed. Rather, they were ordered too to be followers of the Ahl al-Bayt. Meanwhile, in case someone insists that he must still follow the Sahabah, then obedience in Islam is only in al-ma’ruf – in obedience to Allah. In that case, only those Sahabah who complied with the Decree of Allah in Hadith al-Thaqalayn can be followed.

But, al-Mubarakfuri still has one more quote:

وقال ابن الملک التمسک بالکتاب العمل بما فیه وهو الائتمار بأوامر الله والانتهاء عن نواهیه ومعنی التمسک بالعتره محبتهم والاهتداء بهدیهم وسیرتهم زاد السید جمال الدین إذا لم یکن مخالفا للدین

Ibn al-Malik said: “Adherence to the Book of Allah is to follow whatever is in it – and that is to follow the Orders of Allah and desist from His Prohibitions. The meaning of adherence to the offspring (of the Prophet) is to love them, and to seek guidance through their guidance and their way of life.” Sayyid Jamal al-Din added, “if it does not contradict the religion.”(1)

Ibn al-Malik too concedes that the offspring of Muhammad must be followed, under Hadith al-Thaqalayn. He makes no attempts to explain it away or fix artificial conditions.

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1- Abu al-‘Ala Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Mubarakfuri, Tuhfat al-Ahwazi bi Sharh Jami’ al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1410 H), vol. 10, p. 196

But, Sayyid Jamal al-Din moves a step forward: he could only follow the Ahl al-Bayt if their guidance or way of life did not contradict the religion! So, he believes that the designated offspring of the Prophet intended in the hadith can go astray too and oppose Islam. This weird opinion of Sayyid Jamal al-Din however directly contradicts the explicit text of the riwayah:

یا أیها الناس إنی قد ترکت فیکم ما إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا کتاب الله وعترتی أهل بیتی

O mankind! I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will NEVER go astray: the Book of Allah and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt.

You will “never” go astray while following the Ahl al-Bayt. It is a clear guarantee from Allah and His Messenger. This, in turn, means that the offspring of the Messenger – those meant in the hadith among them – are never misguided, and they never misguide. They are always upon the true teachings of the Qur’an and the correct Sunnah of Muhammad, in all their thoughts, sayings, deeds, actions and omissions. Whosoever follows them in absolutely everything will never miss the way.

There is however an opinion within the Ahl al-Sunnah, especially the young Salafiyyah, which insists that the hadith commands to follow the Qur’an only, and nothing else. They cite the use of “it” in it – which is nominally singular – in support of their submission:

إنی قد ترکت فیکم ما إن أخذتم به

I have left behind over you that

p: 17

which if you hold fast to IT

To them, if the Messenger had intended that both the Book and his offspring must be followed, he would have said: “that which if you hold fast to THEM.” But, there are explicit signs of ignorance in this argument. The “it” (ه) in the hadith is a reference to the “which” (ما) before it. In Arabic, a combination of both is possible even if the allusion is to billions of items. For instance, Allah says:

إن الذین کفروا لو أن لهم ما فی الأرض جمیعا ومثله معه لیفتدوا به من عذاب یوم القیامه ما تقبل منهم ولهم عذاب ألیم

As for those who disbelieve, lo! If all that WHICH is in the earth were theirs, and the likeness of IT with IT, to ransom them with IT from the torment of the Day of al-Qiyamah, it would not be accepted from them. Theirs will be a painful torment.(1)

We see that “it” here refers to everything in the earth – all the animals, all the constructions, all the minerals, all the lands and so on. Let us see another example:

إن تجتنبوا کبائر ما تنهون عنه نکفر عنکم سیئاتکم وندخلکم مدخلا کریما

If you avoid major sins, that WHICH you have been forbidden from IT, We shall remit from you your sins and admit you to a noble entrance.(2)

“It” is a direct reference to the “major sins”. With these, obviously, nothing stops the same expression from working for both the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt in Hadith al-Thaqalayn!

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1- Qur’an 5:36
2- Qur’an 4:31

How do these people reason?!

Interestingly, the alternative hadith which our brothers from the Ahl al-Sunnah love to quote has the same wording too. Imam al-Bayhaqi (d. 458 H) records:

أخبرنا أبو عبد الله الحافظ أخبرنی إسماعیل بن محمد بن الفضل الشعرانی ثنا جدی ثنا بن أبی أویس ثنا أبی عن ثور بن زید الدیلی عن عکرمه عن بن عباس رضی الله عنهما أن رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم خطب الناس فی حجه الوداع فقال یا أیها الناس أنی قد ترکت فیکم ما إن اعتصمتم به فلن تضلوا أبدا کتاب الله وسنه نبیه

Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Hafiz – Isma’il b. Muhammad b. al-Fadhl al-Sha’rani – my grandfather – Ibn Abi Uways – my father – Thawr b. Zayd al-Dayli – ‘Ikrimah – Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, delivered a sermon to mankind during the Farewell Hajj, and said: “O mankind! I have left behind over you that WHICH if you hold fast to IT, you will never go astray: the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet.”(1)

Without a doubt, every single Sunni Muslim – including every single Salafi - understands the “it” in the riwayah to be a reference to both the Qur’an and the Sunnah together! So, why the double standards against Hadith al-Thaqalayn?!

Unfortunately for Sunnis though, this hadith of al-Bayhaqi has a dha’if chain, due to Ibn Abi Uways. He had a poor memory, as al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) states:

إسماعیل بن عبد الله بن عبد

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1- Abu Bakr Ahmad b. al-Husayn b. ‘Ali b. Musa al-Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra (Makkah: Maktabah Dar al-Baz; 1414 H) [annotator: Muhammad ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 10, p. 114, 20123

الله بن أویس بن مالک بن أبی عامر الأصبحی أبو عبد الله بن أبی أویس المدنی صدوق أخطأ فی أحادیث من حفظه

Isma’il b. ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abd Allah b. Uways b. Malik b. Abi ‘Amir al-Asbahi, Abu ‘Abd Allah b. Abi Uways al-Madani: Saduq (very truthful), he made mistakes in ahadith due to his memory.(1)

His memory crisis was, of course, very critical. Al-Hafiz provides further details:

إسماعیل بن أبی أویس عبد الله بن عبد الله بن أویس بن مالک بن أبی عامر الأصبحی … قلت وروینا فی مناقب البخاری بسند صحیح أن إسماعیل أخرج له أصوله وأذن له أن ینتقی منها … ما أخرجه البخاری عنه هو من صحیح حدیثه لأنه کتب من أصوله وعلی هذا لا یحتج بشئ من حدیثه غیر ما فی الصحیح من أجل ما قدح فیه النسائی وغیره إلا أن شارکه فیه غیره فیعتبر فیه

Isma’il b. Abi Uways ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abd Allah b. Uways b. Malik b. Abi Amir al-Asbahi … I say: We recorded in Manaqib al-Bukhari (Merits of al-Bukhari) with a sahih chain that Isma’il gave his manuscript to him (i.e. al-Bukhari) and allowed him to select from it … Whatever al-Bukhari narrated from him was from the sahih among his ahadith, because he (al-Bukhari) wrote (them) from his (i.e. Ibn Uways’) manuscripts. As such, nothing from his ahadith is accepted as a hujjah except what is in the Sahih (of al-Bukhari), due to the criticisms of al-Nasai and others against him – unless he has been seconded in it, in which case he

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1- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 96, 461

is accepted as a support in it.(1)

So, his mistakes in ahadith were severe. As such, whatsoever he narrated from memory – unless he was seconded in it by another person – is dha’if. Interestingly, in the hadith of al-Bayhaqi above, he is not seconded in its reporting from his father, Abu Uways. Moreover, all his (i.e. Isma’il’s) ahadith were transmitted by him from memory, except those in Sahih al-Bukhari. Since the hadith of al-Bayhaqi is not from Sahih al-Bukhari, and Isma’il is not seconded in it, then it is dha’if without a doubt.

Shaykh Ibn Baz (d. 1420 H) also copies the hadith:

انی تارک فیکم ما لن تضلوا إن اعتصمتم به :کتاب الله و سنتی

I am leaving behind over you that WHICH you will never go astray if you hold fast to IT: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah.(2)

Then, in a rather weird move, he says about it:

أخرجها الحاکم بسند جید

Al-Hakim recorded it with a good (jayyid) chain.(3)

Really? In that case, let us check the report as documented by Imam al-Hakim (d. 403 H) himself:

حدثنا أبو بکر أحمد بن إسحاق الفقیه أنبأ العباس بن الفضل الأسفاطی ثنا إسماعیل عن أبی أویس وأخبرنی إسماعیل بن محمد بن الفضل الشعرانی ثنا جدی عن ثور بن زید الدیلی عن عکرمه عن ابن عباس أن رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم خطب الناس فی حجه الوداع فقال : قد یئس الشیطان بأن یعبد بأرضکم ولکنه رضی أن یطاع فیما سوی ذلک مما تحاقرون من أعمالکم فاحذروا یا أیها الناس إنی قد ترکت فیکم ما

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1- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani al-Shafi’i, Hadi al-Sari Muqaddimah Fath al-Bari (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi; 1st edition, 1408 H), p. 388
2- ‘Abd al-‘Aziz b. ‘Abd Allah b. Baz, Majmu’ Fatawa al-‘Allamah ‘Abd al-‘Aziz b. Baz, vol. 24, p. 182
3- Ibid

إن اعتصمتم به فلن تضلوا أبدا : کتاب الله وسنه نبیه صلی الله علیه وسلم

Abu Bakr Ahmad b. Ishaq al-Faqih – al-‘Abbas b. al-Fadhl al-Asfati – Isma’il - Abu Uways:

and Isma’il b. Muhammad b. al-Fadhl al-Sha’rani – my grandfather -Isma’il – Abu Uways:

Thawr b. Zayd al-Dayli – ‘Ikrimah – Ibn ‘Abbas:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, delivered a sermon to mankind during the Farewell Hajj, and said: “Verily, Shaytan has lost hope of being worshipped in your land. However, he is pleased to be obeyed in other than that from your despicable deeds. So, beware! O mankind! Verily, I have left behind over you that WHICH if you hold fast to IT you will never go astray: the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet, peace be upon him.(1)

The Salafi scholar, Shaykh Muqbil, states concerning this hadith in his tahqiq of al-Mustadrak:

حدیث ضعیف لأنه من طریق إسماعیل بن أبی أویس عن أبیه وفیهما کلام .وشاهده من طریق صالح بن موسی الطالحی وهو متروک

It is a dha’if hadith, because it is narrated through the route of Isma’il b. Abi Uways from his father, and there is criticism against both of them. Its shahid is narrated through the route of Salih b. Musa al-Talihi, and he is matruk (rejected).(2)

Unfortunately, Sunni ‘ulama never cease to substitute the genuine hadith with the fake one. In their sermons and publications, they never tell their followers about the true decree of the Prophet to his Ummah. Instead, they frequently quote the counterfeit

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1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1411 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 171, 318
2- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn (Dar al-Haramayn li Taba’ah wa al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1417 H) [annotator: Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muqbil b. Hadi al-Wadi’i], vol. 1, p. 161, 318

riwayah as his parting command to us. A well-known contemporary Sunni hadith scientist who is deeply troubled by this ugly situation is Sayyid Hasan al-Saqqaf. He expresses his grave unhappiness about the situation in these sharp words:

وأما حدیث] ترکت فیکم ما إن تمسکتم بهما لن تضلوا بعدی أبدا کتاب وسنتی [الذی یردده الناس فیما بینهم ویقوله الخطباء علی المنابر فحدیث موضوع مکذوب وضعه الأمویون وأتباعهم لیصرفوا الناس عن هذا الحدیث الصحیح فی العتره، فانتبه لذلک جد !!وقد ذکرت جمیع طرقه وبینت ما فی أسانیده من الکذابین والوضاعین فی آخر کتابی} صحیح صفه صلاه النبی صلی الله علیه وآله وسلم {ص (289)

As for the hadith [I have left over you that which if you adhere to them both you will never go astray after me: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah] which people repeat among themselves, and which the lecturers quote on the pulpits, it is a fabricated, false hadith. It was fabricated by the Umayyads and their followers to turn people away from this sahih hadith about the offspring of the Prophet. So, be very careful due to that!! I have mentioned all its chains and exposed the liars and fabricators in its chains at the end of my book Sahih Sifat Salat al-Nabi, peace be upon him and his family, page 289.(1)

In any case, what matters most to our research here is the Sunni understanding of the dha’if hadith. To them – and to everyone who understands at least some Arabic – it directs all humanity to unconditionally

p: 23


1- Hasan b. ‘Ali al-Saqqaf al-Qurashi al-Hashimi al-Husayni, Sahih Sharh al-‘Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah (Amman: Dar Imam al-Nawawi; 1st edition, 1416 H), p. 654, footnote 385

obey the Qur’an and the Sunnah together in all situations and circumstances, as the only way to remain upon the true guidance. In the same manner, the genuine hadith – with an almost identical wording to the fake one – obviously orders us all to obey the Qur’an and the offspring of Muhammad, his Ahl al-Bayt, together, at all times, in all cases and under all circumstances. Whoever fails to do this loses his way, and becomes a heretic.

3) Hadith Al-Thaqalayn: The Prophet At Ghadir Khumm (Part 1)

Immediately after his last Hajj, on his way back to Madinah – his capital city, at a place called Ghadir Khumm, the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, repeated his instruction at ‘Arafat to mankind. Imam Ibn Abi ‘Asim (d. 287 H) documents:

حدثنا سلیمان بن عبید الله الغیلانی، حدثنا أبو عامر، حدثنا کثیر بن زید، عن محمد بن عمر بن علی، عن أبیه، عن علی رضی الله عنه أن رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم قال :إنی ترکت فیکم ما إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا :کتاب الله، سببه بید الله، وسببه بأیدیکم، وأهل بیتی.

Sulayman b. ‘Ubayd Allah al-Ghilani – Abu ‘Amir – Kathir b. Zayd – Muhammad b. ‘Umar b. ‘Ali – his father – ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah – one end of which is in the Hand of Allah and the other in your

p: 24

hands – and my Ahl al-Bayt.”(1)

Concerning the first narrator, al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) states:

سلیمان بن عبید الله بن عمرو بن جابر الغیلانی المازنی أبو أیوب البصری صدوق

Sulayman b. ‘Ubayd Allah b. ‘Amr b. Jabir al-Ghilani al-Mazini, Abu Ayub al-Basri: Saduq (very truthful).(2)

As for the second narrator, this is what al-Hafiz has to say:

عبد الملک بن عمرو القیسی أبو عامر العقدی بفتح المهمله والقاف ثقه

‘Abd al-Malik b. ‘Amr al-Qaysi, Abu ‘Amir al-‘Aqadi: Thiqah (trustworthy).(3)

The third narrator is reliable too, as declared by al-Hafiz:

کثیر بن زید الأسلمی أبو محمد المدنی بن مافنه بفتح الفاء وتشدید النون صدوق یخطئ

Kathir b. Zayd al-Aslami, Abu Muhammad al-Madani b. Mafannah: Saduq (very truthful), made mistakes.(4)

He did not make “a lot” of mistakes. Therefore, his mistakes were not serious, were minimal and did not affect the quality of his ahadith.

Al-Hafiz tells us about the fourth narrator as well:

محمد بن عمر بن علی بن أبی طالب صدوق

Muhammad b. ‘Umar b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib: Saduq (very truthful).(5)

And this is the status of the fifth narrator, according to al-Hafiz:

عمر بن علی بن أبی طالب الهاشمی ثقه

‘Umar b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib al-Hashimi: Thiqah (trustworthy).(6)

So, all the narrators are fully reliable, and the sanad is well-connected. As such, it is a hasan chain, at the least. This is what Shaykh al-Arnaut concludes as well:

وثالث من حدیث علی عند ابن أبی عاصم فی "السنه" (1558) ، والطحاوی فی "شرح مشکل الآثار" (1760) من طریقین عن أبی عامر العقدی، عن کثیر بن زید، عن محمد بن عمر بن علی، عن أبیه، عنه،

p: 25


1- Abu Bakr b. Abi ‘Asim, Ahmad b. ‘Amr b. al-Dhahhak b. Mukhlid al-Shaybani, Kitab al-Sunnah (al-Maktab al-Islami; 1st edition, 1400 H) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 2, pp. 644-645, 1558
2- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 389, 2598
3- Ibid, vol. 1, p. 617, 4213
4- Ibid, vol. 2, p. 38, 5628
5- Ibid, vol. 2, p. 117, 6190
6- Ibid, vol. 1, p. 724, 4967

مرفوعاً، بلفظ: "إنی قد ترکت فیکم ما إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا: کتاب الله، سببه بید الله، وسببه بأیدیکم، وأهل بیتی"، وإسناده حسن.

The third is the hadith of ‘Ali, recorded by Ibn Abi ‘Asim in al-Sunnah (1558), and by al-Tahawi in Sharh Mushkil al-Athar (1760) from two routes from Abu ‘Amir al-‘Aqadi, from Kathir b. Zayd, from Muhammad b. ‘Umar b. ‘Ali, from his father, from him (i.e. ‘Ali) from the Prophet, with the wording: “I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah – one end of which is in the Hand of Allah and the other in your hands – and my Ahl al-Bayt.” And its chain is hasan.(1)

The above riwayah is only an abridged version of a more detailed hadith. Imam Ishaq b. Rahwayh (d. 238 H) and some other classical Sunni scholars recorded the full version. For instance, Imam al-Tahawi (d. 321 H) documents:

حدثنا إبراهیم بن مرزوق قال : حدثنا أبو عامر العقدی قال : حدثنا کثیر بن زید، عن محمد بن عمر بن علی ، عن أبیه ، عن علی ، أن النبی صلی الله علیه وسلم حضر الشجره بخم فخرج آخذا بید علی فقال :یا أیها الناس، ألستم تشهدون أن الله عز وجل ربکم؟ قالوا: بلی، قال: ألستم تشهدون أن الله ورسوله أولی بکم من أنفسکم، وأن الله عز وجل ورسوله مولیاکم؟ قالوا: بلی، قال: فمن کنت مولاه فإن هذا مولاه، أو قال: فإن علیا مولاه - شک ابن

p: 26


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal b. Hilal b. Asad al-Shaybani, Musnad (Muasassat al-Risalah; 1st edition, 1421 H) [annotators: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut, ‘Adil Murshid and others], vol. 17, p. 172, 11104

مرزوق - إنی قد ترکت فیکم ما إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا :کتاب الله سببه بأیدیکم، وأهل بیتی.

Ibrahim b. Marzuq - Abu ‘Amir al-‘Aqadi – Kathir b. Zayd – Muhammad b. ‘Umar b. ‘Ali – his father - ‘Ali:

Verily, the Prophet, peace be upon him, came to a tree at (Ghadir) Khumm. Then he came out, holding the hand of ‘Ali, and saying: “O mankind! Do you not testify that Allah the Almighty is your Lord?” They said, “Yes, we do.” He said, “Do you not testify that Allah and His Messenger are more entitled to you than yourselves and that Allah the Almighty and His Messenger are your Mawla?” They said, “Yes, we do”. He said, “So, whosoever Allah and His Messenger are his Mawla, verily this one – or ‘Ali - is his mawla. I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah – one end of which is in your hands – and my Ahl al-Bayt.”(1)

Shaykh al-Arnaut comments:

إسناده حسن

Its chain is hasan.(2)

Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani also copies the riwayah of Ishaq b. Rahwayh:

وقال إسحاق: أنا أبو عامر العقدی، عن کثیر بن زید، عن محمد بن عمر بن علی، عن أبیه، عن علی، قال: إن النبی صلی الله علیه وسلم حضر الشجره بخم، ثم خرج آخذا بید علی قال :ألستم تشهدون أن الله ربکم؟ قالوا: بلی، قال: ألستم تشهدون أن الله ورسوله أولی بکم من أنفسکم، وأن الله ورسوله أولیاؤکم؟ فقالوا: بلی،

p: 27


1- Abu Ja’far Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Salamah b. ‘Abd al-Malik b. Salmah al-Azdi al-Hajari al-Misri al-Tahawi, Sharh Mushkil al-Athar (Muasassat al-Risalah; 1st edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 5, p. 13, 1760
2- Ibid

قال: فمن کان الله ورسوله مولاه، فإن هذا مولاه، وقد ترکت فیکم ما إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا: کتاب الله سببه بیده، وسببه بأیدیکم، وأهل بیتی

Ishaq said: Abu ‘Amir al-‘Aqadi – Kathir b. Zayd – Muhammad b. ‘Umar b. ‘Ali – his father - ‘Ali:

Verily, the Prophet, peace be upon him, came to a tree at (Ghadir) Khumm. Then he came out, holding the hand of ‘Ali, and saying: “Do you not testify that Allah is your Lord?” They said, “Yes, we do.” He said, “Do you not testify that Allah and His Messenger are more entitled to you than yourselves and that Allah and His Messenger are your Awliya?” They said, “Yes, we do”. He said, “So, whosoever Allah and His Messenger are his Mawla, verily this one (i.e. ‘Ali) is his mawla. I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah – one end of which is in His Hand and the other in your hands – and my Ahl al-Bayt.”(1)

Then, al-Hafiz comments:

هذا إسناد صحیح

This chain is sahih.(2)

Imam Ahmad al-Busiri (d. 840 H) as well documents:

عن علی بن أبی طالب، رضی الله عنه: أن النبی صَلَّی الله عَلَیه وسَلَّم حضر الشجره بخم ثم خرج آخذًا بید علی فقال: ألستم تشهدون أن الله ربکم؟ قالوا: بلی قال: ألستم تشهدون أن الله ورسوله أولی بکم من أنفسکم وأن الله ورسوله مولاکم؟ قالوا: بلی قال: فمن کان الله ورسوله مولاه فإن هذا مولاه وقد ترکت فیکم ما

p: 28


1- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, al-Matalib al-Aliyah bi Zawaid al-Masanid al-Thamaniyyah (Beirut: Dar al-Ma’rifah; 1414 H) [annotator: Prof. Shaykh Habib al-Rahman al-A’zami], vol., 4, p. 65, 3972
2- Ibid

إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا کتاب الله سببه بیده وسببه بأیدیکم وأهل بیتی.

Narrated ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him:

The Prophet, peace be upon him, came to a tree at (Ghadir) Khumm. Then he came out, holding the hand of ‘Ali, and saying: “Do you not testify that Allah is your Lord?” They said, “Yes, we do.” He said, “Do you not testify that Allah and His Messenger are more entitled to you than yourselves and that Allah and His Messenger are your Mawla?” They said, “Yes, we do”. He said, “So, whosoever Allah and His Messenger are his Mawla, verily this one (i.e. ‘Ali) is his mawla. I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah – one end of which is in His Hand and the other in your hands – and my Ahl al-Bayt.”(1)

And al-Busiri has this simple verdict about it:

رواه إسحاق بسند صحیح

Ishaq recorded it with a sahih chain.(2)

‘Allamah al-Muttaqi al-Hindi (d. 975 H) too records the hadith:

عن علی أن النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم حضر الشجره بخم ثم خرج آخذا بید علی فقال : أیها الناس ألستم تشهدون أن الله ربکم ؟ قالوا : بلی قال : ألستم تشهدون أن الله ورسوله أولی بکم من أنفسکم وأن الله ورسوله مولاکم ؟ قالوا : بلی قال : فمن کان الله ورسوله مولاه فإن هذا مولاه وقد ترکت فیکم ما إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا بعده : کتاب الله

p: 29


1- Ahmad b. Abi Bakr b. Isma’il al-Busiri, Itihaf al-Khiyarah al-Maharah bi Zawaid al-Masanid al-‘Ashra (Riyadh: Dar al-Watan; 1st edition, 1420 H), vol. 7, p. 210, 6683
2- Ibid

سببه بیده وسببه بأیدیکم وأهل بیتی

Narrated ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him:

The Prophet, peace be upon him, came to a tree at (Ghadir) Khumm. Then he came out, holding the hand of ‘Ali, and saying: “Do you not testify that Allah is your Lord?” They said, “We do.” He said, “Do you not testify that Allah and His Messenger are more entitled to you than yourselves and that Allah and His Messenger are your Mawla?” They said, “Yes, we do”. He said, “So, whosoever Allah and His Messenger are his Mawla, verily this one (i.e. ‘Ali) is his mawla. I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray while following it: the Book of Allah – one end of which is in His Hand and the other in your hands – and my Ahl al-Bayt.”

Then al-Hindi says about it:

ابن راهویه وابن جریر وابن أبی عاصم والمحاملی فی أمالیه وصححه

Narrated by (Ishaq) Ibn Rahwayh, Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi ‘Asim, and by al-Muhamali in his Amali, and he (al-Muhamali) declared it sahih.(1)

The messages in these reports are very powerfully conveyed:

Muslims can acquire true guidance after their Prophet only by holding fast to both the Qur’an and his Ahl al-Bayt together.

Muslims can remain upon true guidance after their Prophet only by holding fast to both the Qur’an and his Ahl al-Bayt together.

Muslims automatically lose the true guidance after their Prophet any moment they fail to hold fast to the

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1- ‘Ali b. Husam al-Din al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-‘Ummal fi Sunan al-Aqwal wa Af’al (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 1989 H), vol. 13, p. 121, 36441

Qur’an and his Ahl al-Bayt together.

4) Hadith Al-Thaqalayn: The Prophet At Ghadir Khumm (Part 2)

In order to ensure that his followers never missed his messages, the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, further repeated his instruction in some other words, at the same Ghadir Khumm. Imam Muslim (d. 261 H) records what he did:

حدثنی زهیر بن حرب وشجاع بن مخلد جمیعا عن ابن علیه قال زهیر حدثنا إسماعیل بن إبراهیم حدثنی أبو حیان حدثنی یزید بن حیان قال انطلقت أنا وحصین بن سبره وعمر بن مسلم إلی زید بن أرقم فلما جلسنا إلیه قال له حصین لقد لقیت یا زید خیرا کثیرا رأیت رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم وسمعت حدیثه وغزوت معه وصلیت خلفه لقد لقیت یا زید خیرا کثیرا حدثنا یا زید ما سمعت من رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم قال یا ابن أخی والله لقد کبرت سنی وقدم عهدی ونسیت بعض الذی کنت أعی من رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم فما حدثتکم فاقبلوا وما لا فلا تکلفونیه ثم قال قام رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم یوما فینا خطیبا بماء یدعی خما بین مکه والمدینه فحمد الله وأثنی علیه ووعظ وذکر ثم قال أما بعد ألا أیها الناس فإنما أنا بشر یوشک أن یأتی رسول ربی فأجیب وأنا تارک فیکم ثقلین أولهما کتاب الله فیه الهدی والنور فخذوا بکتاب الله واستمسکوا به فحث علی کتاب الله ورغب فیه ثم قال وأهل بیتی أذکرکم الله فی أهل بیتی أذکرکم الله فی أهل بیتی أذکرکم الله فی أهل بیتی فقال له حصین ومن أهل بیته؟ یا زید ألیس نساؤه

p: 31

من أهل بیته ؟ قال نساؤه من أهل بیته ولکن أهل بیته من حرم الصدقه بعده قال وهم؟ قال هم آل علی وآل عقیل وآل جعفر وآل عباس قال کل هؤلاء حرم الصدقه؟ قال نعم

Zuhayr b. Harb and Shuja’ b. Mukhlid – Ibn ‘Ulayyah: Zuhayr – Isma’il b. Ibrahim - Abu Hayyan - Yazid b. Hayyan:

I went along with Hasin b. Sabra and ‘Umar b. Muslim to Zayd b. Arqam. When we sat with him, Hasin said to him:

“You have earned, O Zayd, a lot of good. You saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and you heard his hadith, and you fought by his side, and you offered Salat behind him. You have earned, O Zayd, a lot of good. Narrate to us, O Zayd, what you heard from the Messenger of Allah.”

He replied, “O son of my brother, I swear by Allah, I have grown old and my time has passed, and I have forgotten some of that which I remembered from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. So, whatever hadith I narrate to you, accept (it). And whatever I do not narrate, do not compel me to do that.”

He then said:

“One day, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, stood up to deliver a sermon at a watering place known as (Ghadir) Khumm situated between Makkah and Madinah. He praised Allah and extolled Him, and advised (us), and reminded us (of Allah and His revelations). Then, he said:

‘Then, verily, O mankind!

p: 32

I am only a human being. The messenger of my Lord (i.e. the angel of death) will soon reach me and I will answer (the call of death). But, I am leaving behind over you Two Weighty Things (thaqalayn). The first of them is the Book of Allah. In it there is guidance and light. So hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it.” So, he exhorted (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and encouraged concerning it. Then, he said: “and my Ahl al-Bayt. I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt! I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt! I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt!”

So, Hasin said to him, “So, who are his Ahl al-Bayt? O Zayd, are his wives not from his Ahl al-Bayt?” He (Zayd) replied, “His wives are from his Ahl al-Bayt. But, his Ahl al-Bayt are (also) those to whom sadaqah is forbidden apart from him.” He (Hasin) asked, “And who are those?” He (Zayd) replied, “They are the family of ‘Ali, the family of ‘Aqil, the family of Ja’far, and the family of ‘Abbas”. He (Hasin) said, “Sadaqah is forbidden for all these people?” He (Zayd) answered, “Yes”.(1)

Imam Ahmad (d. 241 H) has recorded this same exact report(2), and Shaykh al-Arnaut has this comment about it:

إسناده صحیح علی شرط مسلم

Its chain is sahih upon the standard of Muslim.(3)

So, there is no doubt about the authenticity of the riwayah.

There is however a crucial fact about

p: 33


1- Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 4, p. 1873, 2408 (36)
2- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 4, p. 366, 19285
3- Ibid

it that must be taken into consideration in understanding its meaning. There is an interpolation by Yazid b. Hayyan into the text of the Prophet’s words in the hadith:

أما بعد ألا أیها الناس فإنما أنا بشر یوشک أن یأتی رسول ربی فأجیب وأنا تارک فیکم ثقلین أولهما کتاب الله فیه الهدی والنور فخذوا بکتاب الله واستمسکوا به فحث علی کتاب الله ورغب فیه ثم قال وأهل بیتی أذکرکم الله فی أهل بیتی أذکرکم الله فی أهل بیتی أذکرکم الله فی أهل بیتی

“Then, verily, O mankind! I am only a human being. The messenger of my Lord (i.e. the angel of death) will soon reach me and I will answer (the call of death). But, I am leaving behind over you Two Weighty Things (thaqalayn). The first of them is the Book of Allah. In it there is guidance and light. So hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it.” So, he exhorted (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and encouraged concerning it. Then, he said: “and my Ahl al-Bayt. I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt! I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt! I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt!”

The highlighted parts are NOT part of the words of the Messenger of Allah. Rather, they are commentaries upon the actual hadith. Since what matters to us are the instructions of our Prophet, then we must remove these interpolations in order to reach the real Sunnah. So, after deleting

p: 34

the foreign words, this is what we have:

أما بعد ألا أیها الناس فإنما أنا بشر یوشک أن یأتی رسول ربی فأجیب وأنا تارک فیکم ثقلین أولهما کتاب الله فیه الهدی والنور فخذوا بکتاب الله واستمسکوا به وأهل بیتی أذکرکم الله فی أهل بیتی أذکرکم الله فی أهل بیتی أذکرکم الله فی أهل بیتی

“Then, verily, O mankind! I am only a human being. The messenger of my Lord (i.e. the angel of death) will soon reach me and I will answer (the call of death). But, I am leaving behind over you Two Weighty Things (thaqalayn). The first of them is the Book of Allah. In it there is guidance and light. So hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it and my Ahl al-Bayt. I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt! I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt! I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt!”

The Sunni mufassir, Mulla Huwaysh Al Ghazi ‘Abd al-Qadir, confirms this as well:

وروی مسلم عن زید بن أرقم أن رسول اللّه صلّی اللّه علیه وسلم قال إنی تارک فیکم ثقلین أولها کتاب اللّه فیه الهدی والنور فخذوا بکتاب اللّه واستمسکوا به وأهل بیتی، أذکرکم اللّه فی أهل بیتی، أذکرکم فی أهل بیتی

(Imam) Muslim recorded from Zayd b. Arqam that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

“I am leaving behind over you Two Weighty Things (thaqalayn). The first of them is the Book of Allah. In it there is guidance and light. So hold fast to

p: 35

the Book of Allah and adhere to it and my Ahl al-Bayt. I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt! I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt! I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt!”(1)

The message here is unmistakable: all mankind – including all the Sahabah, Tabi’in and Tabi’ al-Tabi’in – are ordered to “adhere” to both the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt.

What further solidifies this submission, is that the same hadith has been narrated from Zayd – in the book of Imam ‘Abd b. Humayd (d. 249 H) - without the commentaries, and it is straightforward. ‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) records that the Prophet said at Ghadir Khumm:

"أما بعد ألا أیها الناس! فإنما أنا بشر یوشک أن یأتینی رسول ربی فأجیب وأنا تارک فیکم ثقلین أولهما کتاب الله فیه الهدی والنور من استمسک به وأخذ به کان علی الهدی ومن أخطأه ضل فخذوا بکتاب الله تعالی واستمسکوا به وأهل بیتی أذکرکم الله فی أهل بیتی أذکرکم الله فی أهل بیتی".

“Then, verily, O mankind! I am only a human being. The messenger of my Lord (i.e. the angel of death) will soon reach me and I will answer (the call of death). But, I am leaving behind over you Two Weighty Things (thaqalayn). The first of them is the Book of Allah. In it there is guidance and light. Whoever adheres to it and holds fast to it, he will be upon guidance; and whosoever belittles it, he will go astray. So hold fast to

p: 36


1- Mulla Huwaysh Al Ghazi ‘Abd al-Qadir, Bayan al-Ma’ani (Damascus: Matbu’at al-Turki; 1382 H), vol. 4, p. 37

the Book of Allah the Most High and adhere to it and my Ahl al-Bayt. I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt! I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt!”(1)

Commenting on it, the ‘Allamah states:

(صحیح) ... [حم عبد بن حمید م] عن زید بن أرقم.

(Sahih) … [recorded by ‘Abd b. Hamid] from Zayd b. Arqam.(2)

‘Allamah al-Hindi (d. 975 H) too has copied the same report:

أما بعد أیها الناس فإنما أنا بشر یوشک أن یأتی رسول ربی فأجیب وأنا تارک فیکم ثقلین أولهما کتاب الله فیه الهدی والنور من استمسک به وأخذ به کان علی الهدی ومن أخطأه ضل فخذوا بکتاب الله تعالی واستمسکوا به وأهل بیتی أذکرکم الله فی أهل بیتی

“Then, verily, O mankind! I am only a human being. The messenger of my Lord (i.e. the angel of death) will soon reach me and I will answer (the call of death). But, I am leaving behind over you Two Weighty Things (thaqalayn). The first of them is the Book of Allah. In it there is guidance and light. Whoever adheres to it and holds fast to it, he will be upon guidance; and whosoever belittles it, he will go astray. So hold fast to the Book of Allah the Most High and adhere to it and my Ahl al-Bayt. I remind you, with Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt!”(3)

Giving the source, he too says:

حم وعبد بن حمید م عن زید بن أرقم

Recorded by ‘Abd b. Humayd, from Zayd b. Arqam(4)

This was the report of Zayd from the

p: 37


1- Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami’ al-Saghir wa Ziyadatuhu (Al-Maktab al-Islami), vol. 1, pp. 286-287, 1351
2- Ibid, vol. 1, p. 287, 1351
3- ‘Ali b. Husam al-Din al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-‘Ummal fi Sunan al-Aqwal wa Af’al (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 1989 H), vol. 1, p. 315, 898
4- Ibid

Messenger of Allah without the interpolations of Yazid b. Hayyan. This took place at Ghadir Khumm, after the first declaration at ‘Arafat. The message is explicit, clear and unambiguous. It leaves no room for manipulation or distortion. We all must “adhere” to the Book of Allah and the Ahl al-Bayt of his Prophet after him. Strangely though, Zayd defines the “Ahl al-Bayt” meant in the hadith as the wives of the Prophet, and the families of ‘Ali, ‘Aqil, Ja’far, and al-‘Abbas. Yet, it is the same Zayd who narrated – as we shall examine in the next chapter – that the Messenger specifically named the “Ahl al-Bayt” intended in Hadith al-Thaqalayn as being only his “offspring”.

5) Hadith Al-Thaqalayn: The Prophet At Ghadir Khumm (Part 3)

The Prophet, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, conveyed Hadith al-Thaqalayn in different words to absolutely ensure that the message was not lost on his audiences. At ‘Arafat, he declared:

یا أیها الناس إنی قد ترکت فیکم ما إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا کتاب الله وعترتی أهل بیتی

O mankind! I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt.

Later, at Ghadir Khumm, he again statements:

أنا تارک فیکم ثقلین أولهما کتاب الله فیه الهدی والنور من استمسک به وأخذ به کان علی الهدی ومن أخطأه ضل فخذوا بکتاب الله تعالی واستمسکوا به وأهل بیتی

I am leaving behind over you Two Weighty Things (thaqalayn). The first of them is the Book of Allah. In it there is guidance and

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light. Whoever adheres to it and holds fast to it, he will be upon guidance; and whosoever belittles it, he will go astray. So hold fast to the Book of Allah the Most High and adhere to it and my Ahl al-Bayt.

Then, at that same Ghadir Khumm, he made some other pronouncements, which were clearly intended to drive home the point more forcefully. Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir (d. 774 H) affirms this in his Tafsir:

و فی الصحیح: أن رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم قال فی خطبته بغَدِیر خُمّ: "إنی تارک فیکم الثقلین: کتاب الله وعترتی، وإنهما لم یفترقا حتی یردا علی الحوض"

In the sahih report, it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said in his sermon at Ghadir Khumm: “I am leaving behind over you the Two Weighty Things (al-thaqalayn): the Book of Allah and my offspring. Verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.”(1)

Meanwhile, Imam al-Hakim (d. 403 H) has equally recorded this riwayah which identifies the main narrator of the hadith:

حدثنا أبو بکر محمد بن الحسین بن مصلح الفقیه بالری ثنا محمد بن أیوب ثنا یحیی بن المغیره السعدی ثنا جریر بن عبد الحمید عن الحسن بن عبد الله النخعی عن مسلم بن صبیح عن زید بن أرقم رضی الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم إنی تارک فیکم الثقلین کتاب الله وأهل بیتی وإنهما لن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض

Abu Bakr Muhammad b. al-Husayn b. Musalih al-Faqih – Muhammad b. Ayub –

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1- Abu al-Fida Isma’il b. ‘Umar b. Kathir al-Qurashi al-Dimashqi, Tafsir al-Qur’an al-‘Azim (Dar al-Taybah li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 2nd edition, 1420 H) [annotator: Sami b. Muhammad Salamah], vol. 7, p. 201

Yahya b. al-Mughirah al-Sa’di – Jarir b. ‘Abd al-Hamid – al-Hasan b. ‘Abd Allah al-Nakha’i – Muslim b. Subayh – Zayd b. Arqam, may Allah be pleased with him:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “I am leaving behind over you the Two Weighty Things (al-thaqalayn): the Book of Allah and my Ahl al-Bayt. Verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.”(1)

Al-Hakim states:

هذا حدیث صحیح الإسناد علی شرط الشیخین

This hadith has a sahih chain upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.(2)

Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) concurs:

علی شرط البخاری ومسلم

Upon the standard of al-Bukhari and Muslim(3)

Imam al-Tabarani (d. 360 H) too has an additional sanad for the hadith:

حدثنا علی بن عبد العزیز ثنا عمرو بن عون الواسطی ثنا خالد بن عبد الله عن الحسن بن عبید الله عن أبی الضحی عن زید بن أرقم قال قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم : إنی تارک فیکم الثقلین کتاب الله وعترتی أهل بیتی وإنهما لن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض

‘Ali b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz – ‘Amr b. ‘Awn al-Wasiti – Khalid b. ‘Abd Allah – al-Hasan b. ‘Ubayd Allah – Abu al-Dhuha – Zayd b. Arqam:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “I am leaving behind over you the Two Weighty Things (al-thaqalayn): the Book of Allah and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt. Verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.”(4)

Shaykh al-Arnaut says about this hadith:

وهو صحیح

It is sahih(5)

This is an authentication of all

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1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1411 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 3, p. 160, 4711
2- Ibid
3- Ibid
4- Abu al-Qasim Sulayman b. Ahmad b. Ayub al-Tabarani, Mu’jam al-Kabir (Mosul: Maktabah al-‘Ulum wa al-Hukm; 2nd edition, 1404 H) [annotator: Hamadi b. ‘Abd al-Majid al-Salafi], vol. 5, p.169, 4980
5- Muhammad b. Ibrahim al-Wazir al-Yamani, al-‘Awasim wa al-Qawasim fi al-Dhabb ‘an Sunnah Abi al-Qasim (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 2nd edition, 1416 H) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 1, p. 178, footnote 1

the parts of the hadith by our typically reluctant Shaykh. This, of course, means a lot.

Meanwhile, there is no sin in independently verifying the authenticity of the hadith. As such, al-Dhahabi says about the first narrator:

علی بن عبد العزیز ابن المرزبان ابن سابور: الامام، الحافظ، الصدوق، أبو الحسن البغوی

‘Ali b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz b. al-Marzaban b. Sabur: the Imam, the hafiz (hadith scientist), the saduq (very truthful) narrator, Abu al-Hasan al-Baghwi.(1)

Elsewhere, he adds:

علی بن عبد العزیز البغوی الحافظ المجاور بمکه. ثقه، لکنه یطلب علی التحدیث، ویعتذر بأنه محتاج. قال الدارقطنی: ثقه مأمون.

‘Ali b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Baghwi: the hafiz (hadith scientist), adjacent to Makkah: Thiqah (trustworthy). However, he used to request (payments) for narrating ahadith, and he is excused on the ground that he was needy. Al-Daraqutni said: “He was thiqah (trustworthy) and totally reliable.”(2)

Al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) states about the second narrator:

عمرو بن عون بن أوس الواسطی أبو عثمان البزاز البصری ثقه ثبت

‘Amr b. ‘Awn b. Aws al-Wasiti, Abu ‘Uthman al-Bazzaz al-Basri: Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate).(3)

Concerning the third narrator, al-Hafiz also says:

خالد بن عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن بن یزید الطحان الواسطی المزنی مولاهم ثقه ثبت

Khalid b. ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Yazid al-Tahan al-Wasiti al-Muzni, their freed slave: Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate).(4)

The fourth narrator is thiqah (trustworthy) too, as affirmed by al-Hafiz:

الحسن بن عبید الله بن عروه النخعی أبو عروه الکوفی ثقه فاضل

Al-Hasan b. ‘Ubayd Allah b. ‘Urwah al-Nakha’i, Abu ‘Urwah al-Kufi: Thiqah (trustworthy), fadhil (virtuous).(5)

Finally, al-Hafiz proclaims about the last narrator:

مسلم بن صبیح بالتصغیر الهمدانی أبو الضحی الکوفی

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1- Shams al-Din Muhammad b. Ahmad b. ‘Uthman al-Dhahabi, Siyar A’lam al-Nubala (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 9th edition, 1413 H) [annotators: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut and ‘Ali Abu Zayd], vol. 13, p. 348, 164
2- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Ahmad b. ‘Uthman al-Dhahabi, Mizan al-I’tidal fi Naqd al-Rijal (Beirut: Dar al-Ma’rifah) [annotator: ‘Ali Muhammad al-Bajawi], vol. 3, p. 143, 5882
3- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 742, 5104
4- Ibid, vol. 1, p. 259, 1652
5- Ibid, vol. 1, p. 206, 1258

العطار مشهور بکنیته ثقه فاضل

Muslim b. Subayh al-Hamdani, Abu al-Dhuha al-Kufi al-‘Attar, well-known with his kunya: Thiqah (trustworthy), fadhil (virtuous).(1)

Imam Muslim (d. 261 H) also states concerning him:

أبو الضحی مسلم بن صبیح سمع ابن عباس والنعمان بن بشیر وزید بن أرقم روی عنه الأعمش وحبیب بن أبی ثابت

Abu al-Dhuha, Muslim b. Subayh: He heard (ahadith from) Ibn ‘Abbas, al-Nu’man b. Bashir and Zayd b. Arqam. Al-A’mash and Habib b. Abi Thabit narrated from him.(2)

So, all the narrators are thiqah (trustworthy), and the sanad, of course, is fully connected. As such, it is a perfectly sahih chain.

But, there is more! Imam al-Tabarani again documents:

حدثنا معاذ بن المثنی ثنا علی بن المدینی ثنا جریر بن عبد الحمید عن الحسن بن عبید الله عن أبی الضحی عن زید بن أرقم قال قال رسول الله : إنی تارک فیکم الثقلین کتاب الله وعترتی أهل بیتی وإنهما لن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض

Mu’adh b. al-Muthanna – ‘Ali b. al-Madini – Jarir b. ‘Abd al-Hamid – al-Hasan b. ‘Ubayd Allah – Abu al-Dhuha – Zayd b. Arqam:

The Messenger of Allah said: “I am leaving behind over you the Two Weighty Things (al-thaqalayn): the Book of Allah and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt. Verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.”(3)

There are only three new names in this chain.

Al-Dhahabi says about the first narrator:

معاذ بن المثنی أبو المثنی: ثقه، متقن.

Mu’adh b. al-Muthanna, Abu al-Muthanna: Thiqah (trustworthy), extremely precise.(4)

About the second narrator, al-Hafiz states:

علی بن عبد الله بن جعفر بن نجیح

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1- Ibid, vol. 2, p. 179, 6653
2- Muslim b. al-Hajjaj, al-Kuna wa al-Asma (Madinah al-Munawwarah: al-Jami’ah al-Islamiyyah; 1st edition, 1404 H) [annotator: ‘Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Ahmad al-Qushqari], vol. 1, P. 455, 1722
3- Abu al-Qasim Sulayman b. Ahmad b. Ayub al-Tabarani, Mu’jam al-Kabir (Mosul: Maktabah al-‘Ulum wa al-Hukm; 2nd edition, 1404 H) [annotator: Hamadi b. ‘Abd al-Majid al-Salafi], vol. 5, p.170, 4981
4- Shams al-Din Muhammad b. Ahmad b. ‘Uthman al-Dhahabi, Siyar A’lam al-Nubala (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 9th edition, 1413 H) [annotators: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut and ‘Ali Abu Zayd], vol. 13, p. 527, 259

السعدی مولاهم أبو الحسن بن المدینی بصری ثقه ثبت إمام أعلم أهل عصره بالحدیث وعلله

‘Ali b. ‘Abd Allah b. Ja’far b. Najih al-Sa’di, their freed slave, Abu al-Hasan b. al-Madini Basri: Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate), an Imam, the most knowledgeable of his time in hadith and its ‘ilal.(1)

The third narrator is like that too, as al-Hafiz submits:

جریر بن عبد الحمید بن قرط بضم القاف وسکون الراء بعدها طاء مهمله الضبی الکوفی نزیل الری وقاضیها ثقه صحیح الکتاب قیل کان فی آخر عمره یهم من حفظه

Jarir b. ‘Abd al-Hamid b. Qurt al-Dhabi al-Kufi, a resident of al-Rayy and its judge: Thiqah (trustworthy), sahih al-kitab (i.e. whatever he narrated from his books was sahih). It is said that he used to hallucinate due to his memory during the last part of his lifetime.(2)

Al-Hafiz refers to the criticism against Jarir with “it is said”, which is a term employed to express doubt. In other words, al-Hafiz does NOT confirm that Jarir really used to hallucinate during the last part of his lifetime. Secondly, even if the allegation were accepted, it would still not harm Jarir. The claim was that he hallucinated, but not “a lot”. That shows that his memory problem was not serious, and therefore would not affect his ahadith. In any case, there is a mutaba’ah for Jarir by Khalid b. ‘Abd Allah. Therefore, this second chain is impeccably sahih too, in any case.

6) Hadith Al-Thaqalayn: The Prophet At Ghadir Khumm (Part 4)

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, proclaimed at Ghadir Khumm to all humanity:

إنی تارک

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1- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 697, 4776
2- Ibid, vol. 1, p. 158, 918

فیکم الثقلین کتاب الله وعترتی أهل بیتی وإنهما لن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض

I am leaving behind over you the Two Weighty Things (al-thaqalayn): the Book of Allah and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt. Verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.

The Qur’an and the offspring of the Prophet are referred to as “the Two Weighty Things” (al-thaqalayn) in the ahadith. Both of them are “left behind over” us by him, and are further described as being eternally inseparable till the Day of al-Qiyamah. What exactly did the Rasul intend with these statements?

When the leader of a nation or community tells his people “I will die soon. But, I have left behind over you so-and-so”, what possibly could he be telling them? It is clear, of course. The designated person – “left behind over” his people - is to take his place and perform his role among them. Hadith al-Thaqalayn, obviously, is in this sense too. The Prophet was declaring the Qur’an and his offspring as his substitutes over his Ummah after him. Shaykh al-Arnaut too has something for us in this regard:

قال السندی: قوله: "إنی تارک فیکم"، أی: بعد موتی.

الثًقلین: الثقل، بفتحتین: کل شیء نفیس مصون، ومنه هذا الحدیث، کذا فی "القاموس".

أحدهما أکبر: هو الکتاب، لأنه إمام الکل: العتره، وغیرهم…

وعترتی: کأنه صلی الله علیه وسلم جعلهم قائمین مقامه، فکما کان فی حیاته القرآن والنبی، کذلک بعده القرآن وأهل بیته، ولکن قیامهم مقامه فی وجوب المحبه والمراعاه والإحسان، لا فی العمل بأقوالهم وآرائهم،

p: 44

بل المرجع فی العمل: الکتاب والسنه، والله تعالی أعلم.

Al-Sindi said: “His statement {I am leaving behind over you}: that is, after me death.

{The Two Weighty Things}: every priceless treasure is called a ‘weighty thing’, and this hadith is from it, as stated in al-Qamus.

{One of them is greater}: that is the Book, because it is the Imam for everyone – whether the offspring (of the Prophet) or others…

{and my offspring}: it is like he, peace be upon him, appointed them TO STAND IN HIS PLACE, such that just as it was the Qur’an and the Prophet during his lifetime, it was the Qur’an and his Ahl al-Bayt after him. However, their standing in his place is (only) with regards to the (Ummah’s) obligation of love, kindness and care (to them), not in adherence to their words and opinions. Rather, the reference for actions are the Book and the Sunnah, and Allah the Most High knows best.”(1)

This is further strengthened by the fact that he called them both “the Two Weighty Things”, al-thaqalayn. Imam Ibn Manzur (d. 711 H), the leading classical Sunni linguist, explains what this means:

وروی عن النبی، صلی الله علیه وسلم، أنه قال فی آخر عمره: إنی تارک فیکم الثقلین: کتاب الله وعترتی، فجعلهما کتاب الله عز وجل وعترته، وقد تقدم ذکر العتره. وقال ثعلب: سمیا ثقلین لأن الأخذ بهما ثقیل والعمل بهما ثقیل، قال: وأصل الثقل أن العرب تقول لکل شئ نفیس خطیر مصون ثقل، فسماهما ثقلین إعظاما لقدرهما وتفخیما لشأنهما

It is narrated from the Prophet, peace

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1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal b. Hilal b. Asad al-Shaybani, Musnad (Muasassat al-Risalah; 1st edition, 1421 H) [annotators: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut, ‘Adil Murshid and others], vol. 17, pp. 174-175, 11104. Al-Sindi’s submission is indeed very weird. The Ahl al-Bayt stand in the place of the Prophet in his Ummah after him. Yet, none is obliged to follow them! Moreover, al-Sindi seems to think that following the Ahl al-Bayt leads away from the Kitab and Sunnah! Alas, they are actually the purest route to the Qur’an and the original teachings of Muhammad.

be upon him, that he said during the end of his lifetime: “I am leaving behind over you the Two Weighty Things (al-thaqalayn): the Book of Allah and my offspring.” So, he identified them both as the Book of Allah the Almighty and his offspring. The word “itrah (offspring)” has already been explained. Tha’lab said: “He named them thaqalayn because holding fast to them both and following them both are weighty (responsibilities).” He said: “The origin of (the word) thaqal is that Arabs referred to every priceless weighty thing as a thaqal. Therefore, he named them thaqalayn to highlight their significance and to extol their importance (1)

Imam Ibn al-Athir (d. 606 H), an ace Sunni hadith linguist, has the same submission:

]إنی تارک فیکم الثقلین : کتاب الله وعترت] سماهما ثقلین لأن الأخذ بهما والعمل بهما ثقیل . ویقال لکک خطیر نفیس ثقل فسماهما ثقلین إعظاما لقدرهما وتفخیما لشأنهما.

[I am leaving among you the Two Weighty Things: the Book of Allah and my offspring], he named them both thaqalayn because holding fast to them both and following them are weighty (responsibilities). And every priceless weighty thing is called thaqal. Therefore, he named them thaqalayn to highlight their significance and to extol their importance.(2)

Another leading Sunni linguist, al-Zubaydi (d. 1205 H), backs him:

وکذلک الحدیث} إنی تارک فیکم الثقلین، کتاب الله وعترتی {جعلهما ثقلین إعظاما لقدرهما وتفخیما لهما. وقال ثعلب: سماهما ثقلین؛ لأن الأخذ بهما والعمل بهما ثقیل.

And it is like that in the hadith: “I am leaving among you the Two Weighty

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1- Abu al-Fadhl Jamal al-Din Muhammad b. Mukram b. Manzur al-Afriqi al-Misri, Lisan al-‘Arab (Beirut: Dar Sadir; 1st edition), vol. 11, p. 85
2- Abu Sa’adat al-Mubarak b. Muhammad, Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari, al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith wa al-Athar (Beirut: al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1399 AH) [annotator: Tahir Ahmad al-Zawi and Mahmud Muhammad al-Tanahi], vol. 1, p. 216

Things (al-thaqalayn): the Book of Allah and my offspring”. He called them thaqalayn to highlight their significance and to extol them both. Tha’lab said: “He named them thaqalayn because holding fast to them both and following them both are weighty (responsibilities).”(1)

Yet another leading Sunni linguist, Abu Mansur al-Azhari (d. 370 H), confirms them:

روی عن النبی (صلی الله علیه وسلم) أنَّه قال فی مرضه الذی مات فیه: (إنی تارک فیکم الثقلین: کتابَ الله وعِتْرتی، ولن یفترقا حتی یردا علی الحوض)، فسَّر النبی (صلی الله علیه وسلم) الثقلین فجعلهما کتاب الله جلّ وعزّ وعِترته علیه السلام؛ وقد فسّرت العتره فیما تقدّم وهم جماعهُ عشیرته الأدْنَوْن. وقال أبو العباس أحمد بن یحیی: سمیا ثقلین لأن الأخذ بهما ثقیل، والعمل بهما ثقیل.

It is narrated from the Prophet, peace be upon him, that he said in his fatal illness: (I am leaving behind over you the Two Weighty Things: the Book of Allah and my offspring. Both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount). The Prophet, peace be upon him, explained the Two Weighty Things and identified them both as the Book of Allah the Almighty and his offspring, peace be upon him. The word “itrah (offspring)” has already been explained, and they are his closest blood relatives. Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad b. Yahya said: “They are named thaqalayn because holding fast to them both is a weighty (responsibility), and following them both is also a weighty (responsibility).”(2)

Imam al-Nawawi (d. 676 H), the well-known hadith scientist, tables the view of

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1- Muhibb al-Din Abu Faydh Sayyid Muhammad Murtadha al-Husayni al-Wasiti al-Zubaydi al-Hanafi, Taj al-‘Urus min Jawahir al-Qamus (Beirut: Dar al-Fikr; 1414 H), vol. 14, p. 85
2- Abu Mansur Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Azhari, Tahdhib al-Lughah (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi; 1st edition, 2001 CE), vol. 9, p. 78

the classical Sunni scholars as well:

قوله صلی الله علیه وسلم) وانا تارک فیکم ثقلین (فذکر کتاب الله وأهل بیته قال العلماء سمیا ثقلین لعظمهما وکبیر شأنهما وقیل العمل بهما

His statement, peace be upon him (I am leaving behind over you Two Weighty Things) and he mentioned the Book of Allah and his Ahl al-Bayt. The ‘ulama said: He named them thaqalayn due to their magnificence and the greatness of their significance. It is also said: (they are named thaqalayn due to the fact that) both are to be followed.(1)

And Shaykh ‘Abd al-Baqi, in his annotation of Sahih Muslim, writes these words under Hadith al-Thaqalayn:

(ثقلین) قال العلماء سمیا ثقلین لعظمهما وکبیر شأنهما وقیل لثقل العمل بها

(Two Weighty Things [thaqalayn]): The ‘ulama said: He named them thaqalayn due to their magnificence and the greatness of their significance. It is also said: (they are named thaqalayn due to the fact that) both are to be followed.(2)

So, our Prophet indicated that he was leaving behind the Qur’an and his offspring as his replacements over us after him. He equally very strongly emphasized that we must “adhere to” and “follow” both the Qur’an and his offspring after him, by naming them “the Two Weighty Things” (al-thaqalayn). It is thus impossible to miss his message in any circumstance: the offspring of the Messenger of Allah are his khalifahs and the masters and guides over his Ummah after him.

Meanwhile, the Rasul also described his offspring as being eternally inseparable from the Qur’an until the Day of

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1- Abu Zakariyyah Yahya b. Sharaf al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-‘Arabi; 1407 H) vol. 15, p. 180
2- Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 4, p. 1873, 2408 (36)

Resurrection:

وانهما لن یفترقا حتی یردا علی الحوض

Verily, both shall NEVER separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.

What does this mean?

There is no doubt: the Messenger of Allah is the most eloquent of all of his Lord’s creation. This is why he was able to convey some of his most significant messages through that single statement. He absolutely ruled out the possibility of any form of separation between the Qur’an and his offspring at any moment in the lifetime of this earth. So, we ask:

Does sin cause a separation between us and the Qur’an in our sinful acts? Of course, there is no doubt about this! This means then that the offspring of the Prophet never commit sinful acts. Otherwise, they would be separated from the Qur’an, at least for the duration of their sinful acts.

Does heresy – whether in beliefs or actions – cause a separation between us and the Qur’an? There is no doubt about this too. Heresies of all sorts contradict the Qur’an, and whoever possesses any heresy is in contradiction to the Book of Allah.

Therefore, whatsoever the offspring of the Prophet believe, say, do or teach is the true, pure guidance from Allah and His Messenger. It is absolutely impossible for the offspring to be heretical in absolutely anything. Otherwise, they would be separated from the Qur’an, at least for the duration of the heresy.

Allah and His Messenger have joined together the Qur’an and the offspring, and have made them eternally inseparable

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till the Day of al-Qiyamah. This is also a command to every believer not to ever separate them in any circumstance. If you love the Qur’an, you must love the offspring too. If you respect the Qur’an, you must respect the offspring too. If you follow the Qur’an, you must follow the offspring too. If you obey the Qur’an, you must obey the offspring too. If you consider the Qur’an to be your Imam, you must take the offspring too as your Imams. If you consider the Qur’an to be your supreme guide in any affair, you must take the offspring too as your supreme guides in all your affairs.

This last point is re-emphasized by ‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) in these words while writing about the Qur’an and Sunnah:

بل یجب اعتبار الکتاب والسنه مصدرا واحدا لا فصل بینهما أبدا کما أشار إلی ذلک قوله صلی الله علیه وسلم : " ألا إنی أتیت القرآن ومثله معه " یعنی السنه وقوله: " لن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض "

Rather, it is obligatory to consider the Book and the Sunnah as a single source, with no difference between them both, AS INDICATED IN THE STATEMENT of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him: “I have been given the Qur’an and its likeness with it”, that is the Sunnah, AND HIS STATEMENT, “Both shall never separate until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.”(1)

The ‘Allamah considers the phrase “both shall never separate from each other” to be an order against discrimination between

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1- Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Manzilah al-Sunnah fi al-Islam (Kuwait: Dar al-Salafiyyah; 4th edition, 1404 H), p. 22

the two. Of course, he has applied the phrase to the Sunnah, even though its only reliable chains link with the offspring of the Prophet and nothing else. Yet, we understand from al-Albani’s submission that it is “obligatory” to consider the Qur’an and the offspring as a single source of guidance and knowledge in Islam, with no difference between them both, as indicated in the words of the Prophet: “both shall never separate from each other”. As such, whosoever follows the Qur’an in all matters, but does not obey the offspring in all matters, has defied the Order of Allah and His Messenger, and has thereby become a plain heretic.

7) Hadith Al-Thaqalayn: The Prophet At Unindentified Places

There are reports of Hadith al-Thaqalayn which do not name the locations where it was delivered. It is therefore possible that the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, also uttered them at Ghadir Khumm, in addition to his other pronouncements. Meanwhile, it is equally probable that the sermons were given at other places, before or after Ghadir Khumm. Let us start with this riwayah by Imam al-Fasawi (d. 277 H):

حدثنا یحیی قال :حدثنا جریر عن الحسن بن عبید الله عن أبی الضحی عن زید بن أرقم قال: النبی صلی الله علیه وسلم :إنی تارک فیکم ما إن تمسکتم به لن تضلوا کتاب الله عز وجل وعترتی أهل بیتی وإنهما لن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض.

Yahya – Jarir - al-Hasan b. ‘Ubayd Allah – Abu al-Dhuha – Zayd b. Arqam:

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “I am leaving behind over

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you that which if you adhere to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah the Almighty and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt. Verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.”(1)

Al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) states concerning the first narrator:

یحیی بن یحیی بن بکیر بن عبد الرحمن التمیمی أبو زکریا النیسابوری ثقه ثبت إمام

Yahya b. Yahya b. Bukayr b. ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Tamimi, Abu Zakariyyah al-Naysaburi: Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate), an Imam.(2)

What about the second narrator? Al-Hafiz submits:

جریر بن عبد الحمید بن قرط بضم القاف وسکون الراء بعدها طاء مهمله الضبی الکوفی نزیل الری وقاضیها ثقه

Jarir b. ‘Abd al-Hamid b. Qurt al-Dhabi al-Kufi, a resident of al-Rayy and its judge: Thiqah (trustworthy).(3)

The third narrator is thiqah (trustworthy) as well, according to al-Hafiz:

الحسن بن عبید الله بن عروه النخعی أبو عروه الکوفی ثقه فاضل

Al-Hasan b. ‘Ubayd Allah b. ‘Urwah al-Nakha’i, Abu ‘Urwah al-Kufi: Thiqah (trustworthy), fadhil (virtuous).(4)

And the last narrator is like that too, as affirmed by al-Hafiz:

مسلم بن صبیح بالتصغیر الهمدانی أبو الضحی الکوفی العطار مشهور بکنیته ثقه فاضل

Muslim b. Subayh al-Hamdani, Abu al-Dhuha al-Kufi al-‘Attar, well-known with his kunya: Thiqah (trustworthy), fadhil (virtuous).(5)

All the narrators are thiqah (trustworthy), and the chain is fully connected. So, it is an absolutely sahih chain!

Meanwhile, Imam al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 H) has also recorded a shahid for it:

حدثنا علی بن المنذر کوفی حدثنا محمد بن فضیل قال حدثنا الأعمش عن عطیه عن أبی سعید و الأعمش عن حبیب بن أبی ثابت عن زید بن أرقم رضی الله

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1- Abu Yusuf Ya’qub b. Sufyan al-Fasawi, al-Ma’rifah wa al-Tarikh (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah) [annotator: Khalil al-Mansur], vol. 1, p. 294
2- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 2, p. 318, 7696
3- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 158, 918. We have already mentioned his trustworthiness previously in this book.
4- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 158, 918, vol. 1, p. 206, 1258
5- Ibid, vol. 2, p. 179, 6653

عنهما قالا : قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم إنی تارک فیکم ما إن تمسکتم به لن تضلوا بعدی أحدهما أعظم من الآخر کتاب الله حبل ممدود من السماء إلی الأرض وعترتی أهل بیتی ولن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض فانظروا کیف تخلفونی فیهما

‘Ali b. al-Mundhir Kufi – Muhammad b. Fudhayl – al-A’mash – ‘Atiyyah – Abu Sa’id (al-Khudri): AND al-‘Amash – Habib b. Abi Thabit – Zayd b. Arqam, may Allah be pleased with them both:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “I am leaving behind over you that which if you adhere to it you will never go astray after me. One of them is greater than the other: the Book of Allah - a rope stretching from the heaven to the earth - and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt. Both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount. Therefore, watch carefully how you treat them after me.”(1)

Al-Tirmidhi says:

وهذا حدیث حسن غریب

And this hadith is hasan gharib (i.e. has a hasan chain).(2)

And ‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) states:

صحیح

Sahih(3)

Sayyid Hasan al-Saqqaf also has this comment:

ورواه الترمذی 663/5) برقم (3788 بسند صحیح بلفظ إنی تارک فیکم ما إن تمسکتم به لن تضلوا بعدی أحدهما أعظم من الآخر کتاب الله حبل ممدود من السماء إلی الأرض وعترتی أهل بیتی ولن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض فانظروا کیف تخلفونی فیهما

Al-Tirmidhi (5/663, 3788) recorded it WITH A SAHIH CHAIN, with this wording:

“I am leaving behind over you that which if you adhere to

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1- Abu ‘Isa Muhammad b. ‘Isa al-Sulami al-Tirmidhi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih Sunan al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 5, p. 663 3788
2- Ibid
3- Ibid

it you will never go astray after me. One of them is greater than the other: the Book of Allah - a rope stretching from the heaven to the earth - and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt. Both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount. Therefore, watch carefully how you treat them after me.”(1)

Imam Ahmad (d. 241 H) further documents:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا بن نمیر ثنا عبد الملک بن أبی سلیمان عن عطیه العوفی عن أبی سعید الخدری قال قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم: انی قد ترکت فیکم ما ان أخذتم به لن تضلوا بعدی الثقلین أحدهما أکبر من الآخر کتاب الله حبل ممدود من السماء إلی الأرض وعترتی أهل بیتی الا وانهما لن یفترقا حتی یردا علی الحوض

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Ibn Numayr – ‘Abd al-Malik b. Abi Sulayman – ‘Atiyyah al-‘Awfi – Abu Sa’id al-Khudri:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray after me: the Two Weighty Things (al-thaqalayn). One of them both is greater than the other: the Book of Allah - a rope stretching from the heaven to the earth – and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt. Take note: verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.”(2)

Shaykh al-Arnaut comments:

حدیث صحیح دون قوله " وإنهما لن یفترقا حتی یردا علی الحوض "

It

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1- Hasan b. ‘Ali al-Saqqaf al-Qurashi al-Hashimi al-Husayni, Sahih Sharh al-‘Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah (Amman: Dar Imam al-Nawawi; 1st edition, 1416 H), p. 654
2- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 3, p. 59, 11578

is a sahih hadith, with the exception of the statement “And, verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount”.(1)

Apparently, al-Arnaut rejects the authenticity of the last phrase of the hadith, and accepts all the others. But, this is strange, indeed! We have already quoted absolutely sahih chains – in the reports of Zayd b. Arqam – in this book which establish the authenticity of that phrase. Shaykh al-Arnaut apparently rushed to his conclusion without adequate research. Besides, the chain of this last riwayah above is reliable as well, as ‘Allamah al-Albani declares, after quoting that exact same report from Musnad Ahmad:

وهو إسناد حسن فی الشواهد.

And it is a chain that is hasan through the shawahid (corroborating evidences).(2)

Interestingly, this is what al-Arnaut himself says about the same hadith of ‘Atiyyah above from the same Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, with the same chain, in another book:

سنده حسن بالشواهد.

Its chain is hasan through the shawahid.(3)

So, indeed, all the parts of the hadith are firmly established through this sanad and the sahih others.

8) Hadith Al-Khalifatayn: The Messenger Named His Successors (Part 1)

Imam al-Fasawi (d. 277 H) records:

حدثنا عبید الله قال: أخبرا شریک عن الرکین عن قاسم بن حسان عن زید بن ثابت قال: قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم: إنی تارک فیکم خلیفتی کتاب الله عز وجل وعترتی أهل بیتی وإنهما لن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض.

‘Ubayd Allah – Sharik – al-Rukayn – Qasim b. Hassan – Zayd b. Thabit:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “I am leaving behind over you

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1- Ibid
2- Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihah wa Shayhun min Fiqhihah wa Fawaidihah (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma’arif li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1415 H), vol. 4, p. 357, 1761
3- Muhammad b. Ibrahim al-Wazir al-Yamani, al-‘Awasim wa al-Qawasim fi al-Dhabb ‘an Sunnah Abi al-Qasim (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 2nd edition, 1416 H) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 1, p. 178, footnote 1

MY KHALIFAH: the Book of Allah the Almighty and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt. Verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.”(1)

Al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) states about the first narrator:

عبید الله بن موسی بن أبی المختار باذام العبسی الکوفی أبو محمد ثقه کان یتشیع

‘Ubayd Allah b. Musa b. Abi al-Mukhtar al-‘Ubsi al-Kufi, Abu Muhammad: Thiqah (trustworthy), he was a Shi’i.(2)

Concerning the second narrator, Sharik, Imam al-Mizzi (d. 742 H) submits:

استشهد به البخاری فی " الجامع " وروی له فی " رفع الیدین فی الصلاه " وغیره. وروی له مسلم فی " المتابعات "، واحتج به الباقون.

Al-Bukhari uses him as a witness in al-Jami’ (i.e. Sahih al-Bukhari), and narrates from him under the Chapter “Raising both Hands in Salat” and others. Muslim too narrates from him in mutaba’at (supporting narrations), and others rely upon him as a hujjah.(3)

Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) makes a similar statement about him:

قلت: استشهد به البخاری، وخرج له مسلم متابعه، واحتج به النسائی، وغیره.

I (al-Dhahabi) say: Al-Bukhari uses him as a witness, and Muslim narrates from him in mutaba’at. Al-Nasai and others rely upon him as a hujjah.(4)

So, the overwhelming majority of classical Sunni hadith scientists considered him a hujjah in his own right. Meanwhile, Imam al-Hakim (d. 403 H) has a completely different view of Imam Muslim’s (d. 261 H) treatment of Sharik. For instance, he states about a riwayah:

وله شاهد علی شرط مسلم فقد احتج بشریک بن عبد الله النخعی

It has a shahid (witness), which is upon

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1- Abu Yusuf Ya’qub b. Sufyan al-Fasawi, al-Ma’rifah wa al-Tarikh (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah) [annotator: Khalil al-Mansur], vol. 1, p. 294
2- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 640, 4361
3- Jamal al-Din Abu al-Hajjaj Yusuf al-Mizzi, Tahdhib al-Kamal fi Asma al-Rijal (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 2nd edition, 1413 H), vol. 12, p. 475, 2736
4- Shams al-Din Muhammad b. Ahmad b. ‘Uthman al-Dhahabi, Tarikh al-Islam wa Wafiyat al-Mashahir wa al-A’lam (Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-‘Arabi; 1st edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. ‘Umar ‘Abd al-Salam Tadmuri], vol. 11, p. 169

the standard of Muslim, for he (Muslim) has relied upon Sharik b. ‘Abd Allah al-Nakha’i as a hujjah.(1)

He repeats elsewhere:

وقد احتج مسلم بشریک بن عبد الله وهو أن یحتج به

(Imam) Muslim has relied upon Sharik b. ‘Abd Allah as a hujjah, and he is to be relied upon as a hujjah.(2)

And, again:

وهو غریب صحیح فإن مسلما قد احتج بشریک بن عبد الله

It is gharib sahih, for Muslim has relied upon Sharik b. ‘Abd Allah has a hujjah.(3)

In simpler terms, the ahadith of Sharik are sahih upon the standard of Imam Muslim, according to al-Hakim!

Al-Hafiz, on his part, gives us some additional information about Sharik, which may explain the reluctance of al-Bukhari (d. 256 H) - and possibly Imam Muslim too - concerning his reports:

شریک بن عبد الله النخعی الکوفی القاضی بواسط ثم الکوفه أبو عبد الله صدوق یخطئ کثیرا تغیر حفظه منذ ولی القضاء بالکوفه وکان عادلا فاضلا عابدا وشدیدا علی أهل البدع

Sharik b. ‘Abd Allah al-Nakha’i al-Kufi al-Qadi, (resided) first at Wasit and then Kufah, Abu ‘Abd Allah: Saduq (very truthful), made a lot of mistakes. His memory deteriorated since he became the judge in Kufah. He was just, excellent, a great worshipper of Allah, and he was severe against the people of bid’ah.(4)

He developed a memory problem when he became the judge of Kufah. Before this period, he was a completely accurate narrator. However, Imam Ibn ‘Adi (d. 365 H) makes an important observation about him in this regard, which must be taken into consideration:

والغالب علی حدیثه الصحه

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1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1411 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 65, 45
2- Ibid, vol. 1, p. 193, 377
3- Ibid, vol. 1, p. 539, 1412
4- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 417, 2795

والاستواء والذی یقع فی حدیثه من النکره إنما أتی فیه من سوء حفظه

The overwhelming majority of his ahadith are sahih and accurate (from his shuyukh). As for the repugnancy in his ahadith, that occurred only due to his poor memory.(1)

This puts things into their proper perspective. Despite his memory problems, most of his ahadith are still sahih and accurate. So, when it is said that he made “a lot” of mistakes, this was relative. His many mistakes affected only a small minority of his ahadith. To get a clearer picture, this is what Imam al-‘Ijli (d. 261 H) states:

شریک بن عبد الله النخعی القاضی کوفی ثقه وکان حسن الحدیث وکان أروی الناس عنه إسحاق بن یوسف الأزرق الواسطی سمع منه تسعه آلاف حدیث

Sharik b. ‘Abd Allah al-Nakha’i, the judge, Kufi: Thiqah (trustworthy), and he was hasan al-hadith (i.e. his ahadith are hasan). The one who narrated most from him was Ishaq b. Yusuf al-Azraq al-Wasiti. He heard 9000 (nine thousand) ahadith from him.(2)

Apparently, Sharik was indeed a very prolific narrator. He narrated 9000 ahadith to Ishaq alone! How many more then did he transmit to others? Obviously, there were more! Meanwhile, let us assume – for the sake of argument - that Sharik narrated only those 9000 throughout his lifetime. So, in what percentage of them did he make mistakes due to his poor memory? Imam Ibn ‘Adi records the answer:

حدثنا عمر بن سنان سمعت إبراهیم بن سعید الجوهری یقول أخطأ شریک فی أربع مایه حدیث

‘Umar b. Sinan narrated to

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1- Abu Ahmad ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Adi al-Jirjani, al-Kamil fi Dhu’afa al-Rijal (Dar al-Fikr li al-Taba’at wa al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 3rd edition, 1409 H), vol. 4, p. 22, 888/8
2- Abu al-Hasan Ahmad b. ‘Abd Allah b. Salih al-‘Ijli al-Kufi, Ma’rifat al-Thiqat (Madinah: Maktabah al-Dar; 1st edition, 1405 H), vol. 1, p. 453, 727

us that he heard Ibrahim b. Sa’d al-Jawhari saying: “Sharik made mistakes in 400 (four hundred) ahadith.”(1)

In other words, Sharik made mistakes – due to his poor memory - in 4 out of every 90 ahadith; and he authentically and accurately transmitted 86 out of every 90 ahadith from his shuyukh. For Allah’s sake, is this enough to call for his head and abandon all his ahadith as some from the Ahl al-Sunnah have done? What are all these bloated statements about him then?

This revelation obviously lays the exaggerations and the exaggerated positions concerning him to rest. His case was not as serious as some make it out to be. No wonder, most of the classical Sunni hadith collectors relied upon him as a hujjah in their books. Imam al-Dhahabi too concludes about him:

قلت: کان شریک حسن الحدیث إماما فقیها ومحدثا مکثرا لیس هو فی الاتقان کحماد بن زید. وقد استشهد به البخاری وخرج له مسلم متابعه. ووثقه یحیی بن معین ... وحدیثه من أقسام الحسن.

I (al-Dhahabi) say: Sharik was hasan al-hadith (i.e. his ahadith are hasan). He was an Imam, a jurist, a prolific hadith narrator. He was not as precise as Hammad b. Zayd. Al-Bukhari has used him as a witness, Muslim has narrated mutaba’at reports from him, and Yahya b. Ma’in declared him thiqah (trustworthy) ... His ahadith are in the hasan categories.(2)

Imam al-‘Ijli has a similar submission:

شریک بن عبد الله النخعی القاضی کوفی ثقه وکان حسن الحدیث

Sharik b. ‘Abd Allah al-Nakha’i, the judge, Kufi: Thiqah (trustworthy),

p: 59


1- Abu Ahmad ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Adi al-Jirjani, al-Kamil fi Dhu’afa al-Rijal (Dar al-Fikr li al-Taba’at wa al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 3rd edition, 1409 H), vol. 4, p. 8, 888/8
2- Muhammad b. Ahmad b. ‘Uthman al-Dhahabi, Tadhkirat al-Huffaz (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1419 H) [annotator: Zakariyyah ‘Umayrat], vol. 1, p. 170

and he was hasan al-hadith (i.e. his ahadith are hasan).(1)

Imam al-Haythami (d. 807 H) also says:

رواه کله أحمد ورجال الروایتین رجال الصحیح غیر شریک بن عبد الله النخعی وهو حسن الحدیث

It is entirely recorded by Ahmad, and the narrators of the two reports are narrators of the Sahih, except Sharik b. ‘Abd Allah al-Nakha’i who is hasan al-hadith (i.e. his ahadith are hasan).(2)

So, Sharik was a thiqah (trustworthy) narrator who made many mistakes in 4 out of every 90 of his ahadith. He was taken as a hujjah by most of the classical Sunni hadith collectors, including possibly Imam Muslim. However, due to his errors, his ahadith are only of the hasan grading, according to some top Sunni hadith scientists. In our humble view, making mistakes in 4 out of every 90 ahadith is not enough to degrade his ahadith from the level of sahih reports or to reject them altogether as some Sunnis do!

The third narrator, al-Rukayn (previously mistakenly mis-transliterated as al-Rakin), is thiqah (trustworthy), as quoted by Imam Ibn Shahin (d. 385 H):

الرکین بن الربیع ثقه قاله أحمد

Al-Rukayn b. al-Rabi’: Thiqah (trustworthy). Ahmad said so.(3)

Imam Ibn Hibban (d. 354 H) has also included his name among the thiqah (trustworthy) narrators.(4) More interestingly, al-Rukayn is relied upon as a hujjah by Imam Muslim in his Sahih.(5) This, apparently, is also why Shaykh al-Arnaut has graded the chain of an independent report by al-Rukayn as being “sahih upon the standard of (Imam) Muslim”.(6)

Lastly, the fourth narrator is al-Qasim. He too

p: 60


1- Abu al-Hasan Ahmad b. ‘Abd Allah b. Salih al-‘Ijli al-Kufi, Ma’rifat al-Thiqat (Madinah: Maktabah al-Dar; 1st edition, 1405 H), vol. 1, p. 453, 727
2- Nur al-Din ‘Ali b. Abi Bakr al-Haythami, Majma’ al-Zawaid (Beirut: Dar al-Fikr; 1412 H), vol. 9, p. 164, 14712
3- Abu Hafs ‘Umar b. Shahin, Tarikh Asma al-Thiqat (Dar al-Salafiyyah; 1st edition, 1404 H), p. 88, 369
4- Abu Hatim Muhammad b. Hibban b. Ahmad al-Tamimi al-Busti, Kitab al-Thiqat (Hyderabad: Majlis Dairat al-Ma’arif al-‘Uthmaniyyah; 1st edition, 1398 H), vol. 4, p. 243
5- See Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 3, p. 1685, 2136 (11)
6- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 4, p. 69, 16696

is thiqah (trustworthy). Imam Ibn Shahin again states:

القاسم بن حسان الذی روی عن زید بن ثابت ثقه قاله أحمد بن صالح

Al-Qasim b. Hassan(1) who narrated from Zayd b. Thabit is thiqah (trustworthy). Ahmad b. Salih said so.(2)

He is equally mentioned by Imam Ibn Hibban among the thiqah (trustworthy) narrators.(3) Besides, Imam al-‘Ijli further submits:

القاسم بن حسان کوفی تابعی ثقه

Al-Qasim b. Hassan, a Kufi Tabi’i: Thiqah (trustworthy).(4)

Imam al-Dhahabi also says:

القاسم بن حسان العامری، عن زید بن ثابت، وجماعه، وعنه الرکین بن الربیع، والولید بن قیس، وثق.

Al-Qasim b. Hasan al-‘Amiri: He narrated from Zayd b. Thabit and some others, and al-Rukayn b. al-Rabi’ and al-Walid b. Qays narrated from him. He was declared thiqah (trustworthy).(5)

In addition, both al-Hakim and al-Dhahabi have declared a sanad containing the name of al-Rukayn b. al-Rabi’ narrating independently from al-Qasim b. Hassan – who, in turn, also narrated independently from his shaykh - to be sahih.(6) Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (d. 311 H), as well, has relied upon this chain in his Sahih:

وحدثنی الرکین بن الربیع عن القاسم بن حسان عن زید بن ثابت عن النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم

Al-Rukayn b. al-Rabi’ – al-Qasim b. Hassan – Zayd b. Thabit – the Prophet, peace be upon him.(7)

Obviously, Ibn Khuzaymah considers them both to be thiqah (trustworthy) or, at least, saduq (very truthful). Shaykh Dr. al-A’zami, in his tahqiq of the above chain, comments:

إسناده صحیح

Its chain is sahih(8)

So, all the narrators are thiqah (trustworthy), and the chain is fully connected. Therefore, the sanad of Hadith al-Khalifatayn is sahih,

p: 61


1- Previously mistakenly mis-transliterated as al-Qasim b. Hisan.
2- Abu Hafs ‘Umar b. Shahin, Tarikh Asma al-Thiqat (Dar al-Salafiyyah; 1st edition, 1404 H), p. 189, 1148
3- Abu Hatim Muhammad b. Hibban b. Ahmad al-Tamimi al-Busti, Kitab al-Thiqat (Hyderabad: Majlis Dairat al-Ma’arif al-‘Uthmaniyyah; 1st edition, 1398 H), vol. 7, p. 335
4- Abu al-Hasan Ahmad b. ‘Abd Allah b. Salih al-‘Ijli al-Kufi, Ma’rifat al-Thiqat (Madinah: Maktabah al-Dar; 1st edition, 1405 H), vol. 2, p. 210, 1495
5- Shams al-Din Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Ahmad b. al-Dhahabi al-Dimashqi, al-Kashif fi Ma’rifat Man Lahu Riwayat fi al-Kutub al-Sittah (Jeddah: Dar al-Qiblah li al-Thaqafat al-Islamiyyah; 1st edition, 1413 H), vol. 2, p. 127, 4506
6- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1411 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 4, p. 216, 7418
7- Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Ishaq b. Khuzaymah al-Sulami al-Naysaburi, Sahih (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islami; 1390 H) [annotators: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani and Dr. Muhammad Mustafa al-A’zami], vol. 2, p. 294, 1345
8- Ibid

or at least hasan.

In the hadith, the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, explicitly identified the Qur’an and his offspring to be “my khalifah.” This means that they are his khalifahs. The word “khalifah” – though singular - may be used to refer to a single individual, or to a group, as Imam al-Raghib al-Isfahani (d. 501 H) explains:

والخلیفه یقال للواحد والجمع ، وهاهنا [هو] جمع ، فإن الخلیفه لم یرد به آدم علیه السلام فقط ، بل أرید هو وصالحو أولاده ، فهم خلفاؤه

The word khalifah is used to refer to a single person or to a group. Here (under Qur’an 2:30), it is plural. This is because the word Khalifah (there) does not refer to Adam, peace be upon him, alone. Rather, it refers to him and the righteous ones among his offspring. So, they are His (i.e. Allah’s) Khalifahs.(1)

Of course, the implication is the same – whether “khalifah” (singular) is used, or “khulafa” (plural).

Besides, the khalifah is the one who takes the place of another one, who is physically absent for one reason or another. Imam Ibn al-Athir (d. 606 H), the grand Sunni hadith lexicographer, submits:

الخلیفه من یقوم مقام الذاهب ویسد مسده

The khalifah is whoever stands in the position of the one who is physically absent and substitutes for him.(2)

So, it is the Qur’an and the Prophet’s offspring that have been “left behind” by him to stand in his position, and to substitute for him, over his Ummah after him.

9) Hadith Al-Khalifatayn: The Messenger Named His Successors (Part 2)

The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alaihi

p: 62


1- Abu al-Qasim al-Husayn b. Muhammad b. al-Mufadhdhal al-Raghib al-Isfahani, Tafsir al-Raghib al-Isfahani wa Muqadimmatuh (Kulliyat al-Adab, Jami’ah Tanta; 1st edition, 1412 H) [annotator: Dr. Muhammad ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Basyuni], vol. 1, p. 139
2- Ibn al-Athir, Abu Sa’adat al-Mubarak b. Muhammad al-Jazari, al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith wa al-Athar (Qum: Muasassat Isma’iliyyan) [annotator: Mahmud Muhammad al-Tanahi and Tahir Ahmad al-Zawi], vol. 2, p. 69

wa alihi, further named the Qur’an and his offspring as the two khalifahs (al-khalifatayn) over the Ummah after him. This means that the Book of Allah is one khalifah, and the offspring is another khalifah.

As we established at the end of the last chapter, the word “khalifah” may be employed in reference to a group, to indicate the khilafah of each one of them. So, the Qur’an is the khalifah of Muhammad over his Ummah, and members of his offspring are also his khulafa (successors) over them.

Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah (d. 235 H) records one of these ahadith naming the two khalifahs:

أبو داود عمر بن سعد عن شریک عن الرکین عن القاسم بن حسان عن زید بن ثابت یرفعه قال : إنی ترکت فیکم الخلیفتین کاملتین :کتاب الله وعترتی، وإنهما لن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض.

Abu Dawud ‘Umar b. Sa’d – Sharik – al-Rukayn – al-Qasim b. Hassan – Zayd b. Thabit – the Prophet:

“I have left behind over you the two all-comprehensive khalifahs: the Book of Allah and my offspring. Verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.”(1)

The annotators declare:

والحدیث صحیح، له شواهد

The hadith is sahih. It has witnesses (shawahid).(2)

The only new name here that needs verification is ‘Umar b. Sa’d, the first narrator. Concerning him, al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) states:

عمر بن سعد بن عبید أبو داود الحفری بفتح المهمله والفاء نسبه إلی موضع بالکوفه ثقه عابد

‘Umar b. Sa’d b. ‘Ubayd, Abu Dawud al-Hafari: Thiqah (trustworthy), a great worshipper of Allah.(3)

So,

p: 63


1- Abu Bakr ‘Abd Allah b. Abi Shaybah, Musnad Ibn Abi Shaybah (Riyadh: Dar al-Watan; 1st edition, 1418 H) [annotators: ‘Adil b. Yusuf al-‘Azazi and Ahmad b. Farid al-Mazidi], vol. 1, p. 108
2- Ibid
3- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 718, 4920

the chain is sahih, or at least hasan.

Imam Ahmad (d. 241 H) too documents:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا الأسود بن عامر ثنا شریک عن الرکین عن القاسم بن حسان عن زید بن ثابت قال قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم انی تارک فیکم خلیفتین کتاب الله حبل ممدود ما بین السماء والأرض أو ما بین السماء إلی الأرض وعترتی أهل بیتی وإنهما لن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – al-Aswad b. ‘Amir – Sharik – al-Rukayn – al-Qasim b. Hassan – Zayd b. Thabit:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “I am leaving behind over you two khalifahs: the Book of Allah – a rope stretching between the heaven and the earth or from the heaven to the earth – and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt. Verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.”(1)

Shaykh al-Arnaut comments:

حدیث صحیح بشواهده دون قوله : "وإنهما لن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض" وهذا إسناد ضعیف لسوء حفظ شریک

The hadith is sahih through its shawahid (witnesses), except his statement “Both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.” This chain is dha’if due to the poor memory of Sharik.(2)

So, his only problem with the chain is Sharik. However, the hadith of Sharik is either sahih or hasan, as we have established in the last chapter. The position of al-Arnaut is therefore nothing but an unnecessary exaggeration.

There is only one

p: 64


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 5, p. 181, 21618
2- Ibid

narrator in this chain of Ahmad that needs to be investigated: al-Aswad b. ‘Amir. This is what al-Hafiz says about him:

الأسود بن عامر الشامی نزیل بغداد یکنی أبا عبد الرحمن ویلقب شاذان ثقه

Al-Aswad b. ‘Amir al-Shami, a resident of Baghdad, his kunya was Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman and his laqab was Shadhan: Thiqah (trustworthy).(1)

Therefore, the chain is sahih, or at least hasan due to Sharik.

Ahmad further records:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا أبو أحمد الزبیری ثنا شریک عن الرکین عن القاسم بن حسان عن زید بن ثابت قال قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم إنی تارک فیکم خلیفتین کتاب الله وأهل بیتی وإنهما لن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض جمیعا

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Abu Ahmad al-Zubayri – Sharik – al-Rukayn – al-Qasim b. Hassan – Zayd b. Thabit:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “I am leaving behind over you two khalifahs: the Book of Allah and my Ahl al-Bayt. Verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me together at the Lake-Fount.”(2)

Al-Arnaut again says:

حدیث صحیح بشواهده دون قوله : " وإنهما لن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض جمیعا "

The hadith is sahih through its shawahid, except his statement, “Both shall never separate from each other until they meet me together at the Lake-Fount.”(3)

The sole unverified narrator here is al-Zubayri, and this is what al-Hafiz submits concerning him:

محمد بن عبد الله بن الزبیر بن عمر بن درهم الأسدی أبو أحمد الزبیری الکوفی ثقه ثبت إلا أنه قد

p: 65


1- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 102, 504
2- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 5, p. 189, 21697
3- Ibid

یخطئ فی حدیث الثوری

Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah b. al-Zubayr b. ‘Umar b. Dirham al-Asadi, Abu Ahmad al-Zubayri al-Kufi: Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate), except that he made mistakes in the hadith of al-Thawri.(1)

Well, this is not an hadith of al-Thawri. As such, the chain is sahih – or at least, hasan. Through it, all the parts of the hadith, including those denied by al-Arnaut, are firmly established.

Imam Ibn Abi ‘Asim (d. 287 H) has documented the hadith too:

ثنا أبو بکر، ثنا عمرو بن سعد أبو داود الحفری، عن شریک، عن الرکین عن القاسم بن حسان، عن زید بن ثابت قال قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم: إنی تارک فیکم الخلیفتین من بعدی، کتاب الله وعترتی أهل بیتی وإنهما لن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض.

Abu Bakr – ‘Amr b. Sa’d Abu Dawud al-Hafari – Sharik – al-Rukayn – al-Qasim b. Hassan – Zayd b. Thabit:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “I am leaving behind over you the two khalifahs after me: the Book of Allah and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt. Verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.”(2)

‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) declares:

حدیث صحیح. وإسناده ضعیف لسوء حفظ شریک وهو ابن عبد الله القاضی والقاسم بن حسان مجهول الحال. والحدیث أخرجه أحمد 5/181-182 و189 و190 من طریقین آخرین عن شریک به. وإنما صححته لأن له شواهد تقویه

It is a sahih hadith. But, its chain is dha’if due to the poor memory of Sharik, and he was Ibn ‘Abd Allah

p: 66


1- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 2, p. 95, 6036
2- Abu Bakr b. Abi ‘Asim, Ahmad b. ‘Amr b. al-Dhahhak b. Mukhlid al-Shaybani, Kitab al-Sunnah (al-Maktab al-Islami; 1st edition, 1400 H) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 2, pp. 350-351, 754

the Judge. Also, al-Qasim b. Hassan is majhul al-hal (i.e. his status is unknown). The hadith is recorded by Ahmad (5/181-182, 189, and 190) through two other chains from Sharik with it. I have only declared it sahih because it has witnesses (shawahid) that strengthen it.(1)

Obviously, our ‘Allamah too was infected by the anti-Sharik fallacy. In any case, Sharik was hasan al-hadith. Moreover, al-Qasim b. Hassan is not majhul al-hal. His status is known, and he is thiqah (trustworthy), as we have proved.

The new name here is Abu Bakr, and this is what al-Hafiz says about him:

عبد الله بن محمد بن أبی شیبه إبراهیم بن عثمان الواسطی الأصل أبو بکر بن أبی شیبه الکوفی ثقه حافظ صاحب تصانیف

‘Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Abi Shaybah Ibrahim b. ‘Uthman, of Wasiti origin, Abu Bakr b. Abi Shaybah al-Kufi: Thiqah (trustworthy), a hadith scientist, author of books.(2)

So, the chain is either sahih or hasan.

10) Hadith Al-Salat: The Prophetic Families

In every Ummah, there exists a prophetic family. This is the family of its prophet. On a more specific note, the family of Nuh, ‘alaihi al-salam, were the prophetic family of his Ummah. In the same manner, the family of Ibrahim, ‘alaihi al-salam were the prophetic family of his own Ummah too.

In our own case, Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, is our Prophet, and his family are our prophetic family. This fact is recognized by ‘ulama of the Ahl al-Sunnah as well. For instance, al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani (d. 852 H) states:

ویستفاد من قصه العباس استحباب الاستشفاع

p: 67


1- Ibid, vol. 2, p. 351, 754
2- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 528, 3586

بأهل الخیر والصلاح وأهل بیت النبوه

It is learnt from the story of al-‘Abbas that it is recommended to seek the intercession of righteous people and the Prophetic Family.(1)

Imam al-Mubarakfuri (d. 1282 H) too, while commenting on a hadith, submits:

}ما اختصنا {أی أهل البیت یرید به نفسه وسائر أهل بیت النبوه

{What has been bestowed to us exclusively}, meaning the Ahl al-Bayt. He meant with it himself and the other members of the Prophetic Family.(2)

Concerning the family of Prophet Ibrahim, Imam al-Zamakhshari (d. 538 H) says as well:

وإلی ذلک أشارت الملائکه صلوات اللّه علیهم فی قولهم }رحمت الله وبرکاته علیکم أهل البیت { أرادوا أن هذه وأمثالها مما یکرمکم به رب العزه ویخصکم بالإنعام به یا أهل بیت النبوّه

It was towards this that the angels, peace of Allah be upon them, indicated in their statement {Mercy of Allah and His Blessings be upon you, O Ahl al-Bayt} [11:73]. They meant that this and its likes are part of what the Lord of Honour has honoured you with, and He has specially bestowed good unto you with it, O Prophetic Family.(3)

Here, the family of Prophet Ibrahim are referred to as an “Ahl al-Bayt” by the angels. They were the Prophetic Family of his Ummah too.

Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir (d. 774 H) also mentions a report about the family of Prophet Dawud, ‘alaihi al-salam:

وروی عنه أیضا أنه قال: وقف سائل علی باب داود علیه السلام، فقال: یا أهل بیت النبوه تصدقوا علینا بشئ رزقکم الله

It is also narrated from him that he said: “A beggar

p: 68


1- Shihab al-Din Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Fath al-Bari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari (Beirut: Dar al-Ma’rifah li al-Taba’ah wa al-Nashr; 2nd edition), vol. 2, p. 413
2- Abu al-‘Ala Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Mubarakfuri, Tuhfat al-Ahwazi bi Sharh Jami’ al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1410 H), vol. 5, p. 288
3- Abu al-Qasim Jarullah Mahmud b. ‘Umar al-Zamakhshari, al-Kashaf (Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-‘Arabi; 1407 H), vol. 2, p. 411

stopped at the door of Dawud, peace be upon him, and said, ‘O Prophetic Family! Give to us something that Allah has granted you.’”(1)

Expectedly, prophetic families hold special positions in their respective Ummahs. For instance, Allah informs us about two of them in these verses:

إن الله اصطفی آدم ونوحا وآل إبراهیم وآل عمران علی العالمین ذریه بعضها من بعض والله سمیع علیم

Verily, Allah chose Adam, Nuh, the family of Ibrahim and the family of Imran above the worlds. (They are) offspring, one of the other, and Allah is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.(2)

There are two crucial points here:

The prophetic families of Ibrahim and Imran were chosen above all the worlds. This means that none outside those families can exercise authority or leadership over them. Naturally, therefore, all masters and leaders over all others must come from them.

Members of the prophetic families are “offspring” of one another. As a result, anyone outside the offspring of a prophet can never be part of his chosen family.

Concerning the families of Prophet Nuh and Prophet Ibrahim, Allah informs us of how He chose them:

ولقد أرسلنا نوحا وإبراهیم وجعلنا فی ذریتهما النبوه والکتاب فمنهم مهتد وکثیر منهم فاسقون

And indeed, We sent Nuh and Ibrahim, and We placed prophethood and the Book in their offspring. Among them was he who was guided, but many of them were disobedient to Allah.(3)

Explaining this verse, al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir states:

وقال فیه وفی إبراهیم (وجعلنا فی ذریتهما النبوه والکتاب) [الحدید: 26] أی کل نبی من بعد نوح فمن ذریته. وکذلک إبراهیم

He (Allah) says

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1- Abu al-Fida Isma’il b. Kathir al-Dimashqi, al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah (Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi; 1st edition, 1408 H) [annotator: ‘Ali Shiri], vol. 9, p. 326
2- Qur’an 3:33-34
3- Qur’an 57:26

concerning him (i.e. Nuh) and Ibrahim {And We placed prophethood and the Book in the offspring} [al-Hadid: 26], meaning: all prophets after Nuh were from his offspring. That was the case of Ibrahim too.(1)

Imam al-Tabari (d. 310 H) too says:

}وجعلنا فی ذریتهما النبوه والکتاب {وکذلک کانت النبوه فی ذریتهما، وعلیهم أنزلت الکتب: التوراه، والإنجیل، والزبور، والفرقان، وسائر الکتب المعروفه

{And We placed prophethood and the Book in the offspring} in the same manner, prophethood was in their offspring, and to them were revealed the divine scriptures: al-Tawrat, al-Injil, al-Zabur, al-Furqan, and the other well-known scriptures.(2)

With regards to Prophet Ibrahim specifically, we read:

ووهبنا له إسحاق ویعقوب وجعلنا فی ذریته النبوه والکتاب وآتیناه أجره فی الدنیا وإنه فی الآخره لمن الصالحین

And We bestowed on him Ishaq and Ya’qub, and We placed prophethood and the Book in his offspring, and We granted him his reward in this world, and verily, in the Hereafter he is indeed among the righteous.(3)

Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir has this exegesis:

}وجعلنا فی ذریته النبوه والکتاب…{ وجعل فی ذریته النبوه والکتاب فکل نبی بعث بعده فهو من ذریته وکل کتاب نزل من السماء علی نبی من الانبیاء من بعده فعلی أحد نسله وعقبه

{And We placed prophethood and the Book in his offspring…} and He placed prophethood and the Book in his offspring. Therefore, all prophets sent after him were from his offspring. Also, every scripture revealed from heaven to any prophet after him was sent to someone from his offspring and progeny.(4)

This is expected, of course. None from outside the family of

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1- Abu al-Fida Isma’il b. Kathir al-Dimashqi, al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah (Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi; 1st edition, 1408 H) [annotator: ‘Ali Shiri], vol. 1, p. 120
2- Abu Ja’far Muhammad b. Jarir b. Yazid b. Kathir b. Ghalib al-Amuli al-Tabari, Jami al-Bayan fi Tawil al-Qur’an (Dar al-Fikr; 1415 H) [annotator: Sidqi Jamil al-‘Attar], vol. 27, p. 308
3- Qur’an 29:27
4- Abu al-Fida Isma’il b. Kathir al-Dimashqi, al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah (Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi; 1st edition, 1408 H) [annotator: ‘Ali Shiri], vol. 1, p. 172

Nuh was qualified to exercise authority or leadership over them. Allah placed him and his family above all the worlds. So, all prophets, messengers, leaders and guides must naturally be from them. The same goes for the family of Ibrahim. His family was above all others, by Allah’s Decree. Therefore, all his successors, and all masters of mankind after him, were automatically from his offspring, his family.

This process started with Adam, ‘alaihi al-salam, the first prophet. The Qur’an states:

أولئک الذین أنعم الله علیهم من النبیین من ذریه آدم

Those were they unto whom Allah bestowed His Grace among the prophets from the offspring of Adam.(1)

Logically, the immediate khalifahs of Adam would be from his children. The line of prophets continued among his descendants until the time of Nuh. It was Nuh who then founded a new dynasty – chosen above all creation - by Allah’s Decree, and the line of prophets shifted to his offspring alone. Ibrahim was from the descendants of Nuh, and he too founded a new dynasty – which was placed over the worlds; and all subsequent prophets naturally emerged from it.

Meanwhile, the family of Ibrahim had some minor branches. One of them was founded by his grandson, Ya’qub, ‘alaihi al-salam – who was also known as Israil. Commenting about his branch of the Ibrahimic tree, Allah states:

ولقد آتینا بنی إسرائیل الکتاب والحکم والنبوه ورزقناهم من الطیبات وفضلناهم علی العالمین

And indeed, We gave the offspring of Israil the Book, and authority and prophethood, and We provided them

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1- Qur’an 19: 58

with good things, AND WE MADE THEM SUPERIOR ABOVE THE WORLDS.(1)

We equally read about the families of Musa and Harun, ‘alaihima al-salam, also from the offspring of Ibrahim:

وقال لهم نبیهم إن آیه ملکه أن یأتیکم التابوت فیه سکینه من ربکم وبقیه مما ترک آل موسی وآل هارون تحمله الملائکه

And their Prophet said to them, “Verily! The sign of his (i.e. Talut’s) kingdom is that there shall come to you a wooden box, wherein is al-sakinah from your Lord, and a remnant of that which was left behind by the family of Musa and the family of Harun, carried by the angels.”(2)

This verse shows the high spiritual status of the families of Musa and Harun. Their relics were protected in a box, and kept by angels. One may conclude that members of these families too were high prophets, or at least some very great saints of Allah. Otherwise, angels had no business keeping their relics.

Moreover, the angels were made to bring these relics to the Israelites as a proof of the legitimacy of Talut’s divine kingdom. This fact alone establishes that the Israelites held the families of Musa and Harun in the highest spiritual regards, and obviously considered them as masters as well.

The family of Dawud, ‘alaihi al-salam, was another branch of the Ibrahimic lineage. Allah says:

آل داوود شکرا وقلیل من عبادی الشکور

“Work you, O family of Dawud, with thanks.” But few of My slaves are grateful.(3)

Dawud, the founder of this branch, was a prophet, and a king. He was

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1- Qur’an 45:16
2- Qur’an 2:248
3- Qur’an 34:13

succeeded by his son, Sulayman, ‘alaihi al-salam, who was also a prophet and king.

Then, there are two other branches of the tree of Ibrahim that we have not mentioned. Imam al-Bukhari (d. 256 H) records about them:

}إن الله اصطفی آدم ونوحا وآل إبراهیم وآل عمران علی العالمین - إلی قوله - یرزق من یشاء بغیر حساب} قال ابن عباس }وآل عمران{ المؤمنون من آل إبراهیم وآل عمران وآل یاسین وآل محمد صلی الله علیه و سلم یقول {إن أولی الناس بإبراهیم للذین اتبعوه} وهم المؤمنون .

{Verily, Allah chose Adam, Nuh, the family of Ibrahim and the family of Imran above the worlds ... Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills, without limit.} Ibn ‘Abbas said: “{and the family of Imran} They are the believers from the family of Ibrahim, the family of ‘Imran, the family of Yasin AND THE FAMILY OF MUHAMMAD, peace be upon him. He (Allah) says: {Verily, the most entitled to Ibrahim are those who followed him} They are the believers”.(1)

Prof. Ibn Yasin also submits:

}إن الله اصطفی آدم ونوحا وآل إبراهیم وآل عمران علی العالمین {

أخرج الطبری وابن أبی حاتم بسندیهما الحسن عن علی بن أبی طلحه عن ابن عباس قال: هم المؤمنون من آل إبراهیم وآل عمران: آل یاسین وآل محمد یقول الله عز وجل (إن أولی الناس بإبراهیم للذین اتبعوه).

{Verily, Allah chose Adam, Nuh, the family of Ibrahim and the family of Imran above the worlds}

Al-Tabari and Ibn Abi Hatim record with their hasan chain from ‘Ali b. Abi Talhah from Ibn ‘Abbas that he

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1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 3, p. 1263

said, “They are the believers from the family of Ibrahim, the family of ‘Imran, the family of Yasin AND THE FAMILY OF MUHAMMAD. Allah the Most Glorious say: {Verily, the most entitled to Ibrahim are those who followed him}.”(1)

As authentically transmitted from Ibn ‘Abbas, radhiyallahu ‘anhu, the family of Muhammad is part of the family of Ibrahim mentioned in this verse:

إن الله اصطفی آدم ونوحا وآل إبراهیم وآل عمران علی العالمین ذریه بعضها من بعض والله سمیع علیم

Verily, Allah chose Adam, Nuh, the family of Ibrahim and the family of Imran above the worlds. (They are) offspring, one of the other, and Allah is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.(2)

In fact, the family of Muhammad is the only family in our entire Ummah that is included as part of the family of Ibrahim in that verse. Ibn ‘Abbas has mentioned none other. As such, we know from the ayah that:

The family of Muhammad have been chosen by Allah above all of His other creatures of their times.

The family of Muhammad are offspring of one another. Therefore, anyone who is not from the offspring of Muhammad is automatically excluded by Allah Himself.

The direct implication of the verse is that none from outside the family of Muhammad can legitimately exercise authority or leadership over them. Moreover, all masters, leaders and guides of the Ummah must always be from them. This way, the master, leader or guide would be able to exercise authority over them, and over everyone else.

11) Hadith Al-Salat: The Family of Ibrahim And The Family Of Muhammad

The family of Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alaihi

p: 74


1- Prof. Dr. Hikmat b. Bashir b. Yasin, Mawsu’at al-Sahih al-Masbur min al-Tafsir bi al-Mathur (Madinah: Dar al-Mathar li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’ wa al-Taba’at; 1st edition, 1420 H), vol. 1, p. 411
2- Qur’an 3:33-34

wa alihi, in our Ummah mainly mirrors the family of Ibrahim, ‘alaihi al-salam, in his Ummah. This fundamental fact is explicitly mentioned in authentic Sunni ahadith. Imam al-Bukhari (d. 256 H), for instance, records:

حدثنا قیس بن حفص وموسی بن إسماعیل قالا حدثنا عبد الواحد بن زیاد حدثنا أبو قره مسلم بن سالم الهمذانی قال حدثنی عبد الله ابن عیسی سمع عبد الرحمن بن أبی لیلی قال : لقینی کعب بن عجره فقال ألا أهدی لک هدیه سمعتها من النبی صلی الله علیه و سل؟ فقلت بلی فأهدها لی فقال سألنا رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم فقلنا یا رسول الله کیف الصلاه علیکم أهل البیت فإن الله قد علمنا کیف نسلم علیکم؟ قال قولوا اللهم صل علی محمد وعلی آل محمد کما صلیت علی إبراهیم وعلی آل إبراهیم إنک حمید مجی اللهم بارک علی محمد وعلی آل محمد کما بارکت علی إبراهیم وعلی آل إبراهیم إنک حمید مجید

Qays b. Hafs and Musa b. Isma’il – ‘Abd al-Wahid b. Ziyad – Abu Qurrah Muslim b. Salim al-Hamdani – ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Isa – ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Abi Layli:

Ka’b b. ‘Ujrah met me and said, “Shall I not give you a present I got from the Prophet, peace be upon him?” I said, “Yes, give it to me.” He said, “We asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! What is the manner of the salat upon you, Ahl al-Bayt, for Allah has taught us how to send salam you (Ahl al-Bayt)?’ He replied,

p: 75

‘Say: O Allah! Send salat upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, in exactly the same manner as You sent salat upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim. You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious. O Allah! Bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, in exactly the same manner as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious.’”(1)

This is the mutawatir version of the hadith, as anyone who has done research on this matter can easily confirm(2). There are a few shadh reports which either removes or replaces the phrase “the family of Muhammad”. However, such odd riwayat cannot in any way harm a mutawatir hadith.

Al-Bukhari also documents:

حدثنا آدم حدثنا شعبه حدثنا الحکم قال سمعت عبد الرحمن بن أبی لیلی قال : لقینی کعب بن عجره فقال ألا أهدی لک هدیه؟ إن النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم خرج علینا فقلنا یا رسول الله قد علمنا کیف نسلم علیک فکیف نصلی علیک؟ قال قولوا اللهم صل علی محمد وعلی آل محمد کما صلیت علی آل إبراهیم إنک حمید مجید .اللهم بارک علی محمد وعلی آل محمد کما بارکت علی آل إبراهیم إنک حمید مجید

Adam – Shu’bah – al-Hakam – ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Abi Layli:

Ka’b b. ‘Ujrah met me and said, “Shall I not give you a present? Verily, the Prophet, peace be upon him, came to us and we said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, we already know how to make salam on you. But, how do we make salat

p: 76


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 3, p. 1233, 3190
2- See al-Qadhi Abu Ishaq Isma’il b. Ishaq b. Isma’il b. Hammad b. Zayd al-Azdi al-Basri al-Baghdadi al-Maliki al-Jahdhami, Fadhl Salat ‘ala al-Nabi (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islami; 3rd edition, 1397 H) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], pp. 55-68. In this book, al-Qadhi Abu Ishaq records several ahadith mentioning “the family of Muhammad” with their chains from Ka’b b. ‘Ujrah, ‘Uqbah b. ‘Amr, ‘Abd Allah, ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Umar or ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Amr, Abu Mas’ud al-Ansari, Ibrahim, al-Hasan, Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, Talhah, Zayd b. Kharijah, ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Bishr b. Mas’ud, and Fatimah bint al-Nabi Muhammad. Moreover, Abu al-Qasim ‘Ali b. al-Hasan b. Habat Allah b. ‘Abd Allah, Ibn Asakir al-Shafi’i in his Tarikh Madinah Dimashq (Beirut: Dar al-Fikr) [annotator: ‘Ali Shiri] has also narrated it – with the chains of transmission – from ‘Aishah (vol. 53, p. 309), Anas b. Malik (vol. 48, p. 316), al-Husayn b. ‘Ali (vol. 18, p. 87) and Umm Salamah (vol. 14, p. 141). This is far more than what is needed for absolute tawattur. As for the shadh reports which expunge or replace “the family of Muhammad”, they have no tawattur whatsoever and are not even close, and therefore can neither harm nor replace the mutawatir hadith.

on you?’ He replied, ‘Say: O Allah! Send salat upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, in exactly the same manner as You sent salat upon the family of Ibrahim. You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious. O Allah! Bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, in exactly the same manner as You blessed the family of Ibrahim. You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious.’”(1)

He again records:

حدثنی سعید بن یحیی حدثنا أبی حدثنا مسعر عن الحکم عن ابن أبی لیلی عن کعب بن عجره رضی الله عنه قیل :یا رسول الله أما السلام علیک فقد عرفناه فکیف الصلاه ؟ قال قولوا اللهم صل علی محمد وعلی آل محمد کما صلیت علی إبراهیم إنک حمید مجید اللهم بارک علی محمد وعلی آل محمد کما بارکت علی إبراهیم إنک حمید مجید

Sa’id b. Yahya – my father – Mas’ar – al-Hakam - Ibn Abi Layli – Ka’b b. ‘Ujrah, may Allah be pleased with him:

It was said, “O Messenger of Allah, we have already known how to make salam on you. But, how do we make salat?’ He replied, ‘Say: O Allah! Send salat upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, in exactly the same manner as You sent salat upon Ibrahim. You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious. O Allah! Bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, in exactly the same manner as You blessed Ibrahim. You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious.’”(2)

Imam Muslim (d. 261 H) too documents:

حدثنا یحیی بن یحیی التمیمی قال قرأت علی

p: 77


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 5, p. 2338, 5996
2- Ibid, vol. 4, p. 1802, 4519

مالک عن نعیم بن عبدالله المجمر أن محمد بن عبدالله بن زید الأنصاری (وعبدالله بن زید هو الذی کان أری النداء بالصلاه) أخبره عن أبی مسعود الأنصاری قال أتانا رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم ونحن فی مجلس سعد بن عباده فقال له بشیر بن سعد أمرنا الله تعالی أن نصلی علیک یا رسول الله فکیف نصلی علیک ؟ قال فسکت رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم حتی تمنینا أنه لم یسأله ثم قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم قولوا اللهم صل علی محمد وعلی آل محمد کما صلیت علی آل إبراهیم وبارک علی محمد وعلی آل محمد کما بارکت علی آل إبراهیم فی العالمین إنک حمید مجید والسلام کما قد علمتم

Yahya b. Yahya al-Tamimi – Malik – Na’im b. ‘Abd Allah al-Mujmar – Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah b. Zayd al-Ansari – Abu Mas’ud al-Ansari:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, came to us while we were in the assembly of Sa’d b. ‘Ubadah. So, Bashir b. Sa’d said, “Allah the Most High ordered us to make salat upon you, O Messenger of Allah. So, how do we make salat upon you?” The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, kept silent so much we wished he had not asked him. Then, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “Say: ‘O Allah! Send salat upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, in exactly the same manner as You sent salat upon the family of Ibrahim and bless Muhammad and the family of

p: 78

Muhammad, in exactly the same manner as You blessed the family of Ibrahim THROUGHOUT THE WORLDS. You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious.’ As for the salam, it is as you have been taught.(1)

Imam Ahmad (d. 241 H) has this riwayah as well:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی حدثنا عثمان بن عمر انا مالک عن نعیم المجمر عن محمد یعنی بن عبد الله عن أبی مسعود قال قیل یا رسول الله کیف نصلی علیک فقال قولوا اللهم صل علی محمد وعلی آل محمد وبارک علی محمد وعلی آل محمد کما بارکت علی إبراهیم فی العالمین انک حمید مجید

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – ‘Uthman b. ‘Umar – Malik – Na’im al-Mujmar – Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah – Abu Mas’ud:

It was said, “O Messenger of Allah, how do we make salat upon you?” So, he replied, “Say: ‘O Allah! Send salat upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad and bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, in exactly the same manner as You blessed Ibrahim THROUGHOUT THE WORLDS. You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious.’”(2)

Shaykh al-Arnaut comments:

إسناده صحیح علی شرط مسلم

Its chain is sahih upon the standard of (Imam) Muslim.(3)

There are a number of points that need to be highlighted here. First, this was what Ka’b b. ‘Ujrah said to the Messenger of Allah:

یا رسول الله کیف الصلاه علیکم أهل البیت فإن الله قد علمنا کیف نسلم علیکم

O Messenger of Allah! What is the manner of the salat upon you, Ahl al-Bayt, for Allah

p: 79


1- Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 1, p. 305, 405 (65)
2- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 4, p. 118, 17108
3- Ibid

has taught us how to send salam upon you (Ahl al-Bayt)?

We know from this that the Sahabah used to send salam upon members of the Ahl al-Bayt. In fact, it was Allah Himself Who taught them to send salam upon the Ahl al-Bayt. Sending salam upon a male member of the Ahl al-Bayt, for instance, is to say “alaihi al-salam” (peace be upon him), “salamullah ‘alaihi” (peace of Allah be upon him), or similar statements containing “salam” (peace) after mentioning or writing his name.

The Sahabah used to do it, as Ka’b testified. Some of the early Sunnis – from all fields of knowledge - also did it to a good extent. Examples abound galore in their classical books. However, in order to conserve space, we will be citing only a few, from Sahih al-Bukhari. Concerning Amir al-Muminin, ‘alaihi al-salam, Imam al-Bukhari writes:

قال علی علیه السلام الذاریات الریاح

‘Ali, ‘alaihi al-salam, said: “Al-Dhariyat are the winds”.(1)

With regards to his wife, the blessed daughter of the Messenger of Allah, ‘alaiha al-salam, al-Bukhari also states:

فقالت فاطمه علیها السلام….

Fatimah, ‘alaiha al-salam, said….(2)

About Imam al-Hasan, ‘alaihi al-salam, al-Bukhari is no different either:

ووهب الحسن بن علی علیهما السلام لرجل دینه

Al-Hasan b. ‘Ali, ‘alaihima al-salam, waived the debt of a man.(3)

Imam al-Husayn, ‘alaihi al-salam, the martyr of Karbala, is treated likewise by al-Bukhari:

حسین بن علی علیهما السلام أخبره

Husayn b. ‘Ali, ‘alaihima al-salam, informed him(4)

He also says:

أتی عبید الله بن زیاد برأس الحسین بن علی علیه السلام

The head of al-Husayn b. ‘Ali, ‘alaihi al-salam, was brought to ‘Ubayd

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1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 4, p. 1836
2- Ibid, vol. 4, p. 1619, 4193
3- Ibid, vol. 2, p. 918
4- Ibid, vol. 3, p. 1125, 2925 and vol. 6, p. 2716, 7027

Allah b. Ziyad(1)

Even Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, ‘Ali b. al-Husayn, ‘alaihi al-salam, is given the same recognition by al-Bukhari:

وقال علی بن الحسین علیهما السلام….

‘Ali b. al-Husayn, ‘alaihi al-salam, said….(2)

This Sunnah, unfortunately, is resisted by a lot of modern Sunnis. It is primarily the Shi’ah who still keep it alive. May Allah set our Ummah aright.

Secondly, the salat upon the Prophet is also the salat upon his Ahl al-Bayt. Note these words of the Sahabah:

یا رسول الله کیف الصلاه علیکم أهل البیت

O Messenger of Allah! What is the manner of the salat upon you, Ahl al-Bayt?

And:

یا رسول الله قد علمنا کیف نسلم علیک فکیف نصلی علیک

O Messenger of Allah, we already know how to make salam on you. But, how do we make salat on you?

To both questions, he gave the same answer. Whether you want to make salat on the Prophet or the Ahl al-Bayt, you must mention him together with them. ‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) confesses to this as well:

قد علمت مما سبق أن صیغ الصلاه علی النبی صلی الله علیه وسلم فیها کلها الصلاه علی أهل بیته صلی الله علیه وسلم وآله؛ ولذلک فلا ینبغی الاکتفاء بالصلاه علیه صلی الله علیه وسلم وحده، بل لا بد من إضافه الآل إلیه، بل لا بد من إتمام الصیغه من أولها إلی آخرها؛ کما وردت؛ تقیُّداً بقوله صلی الله علیه وسلم: "قولوا: اللهم! صل علی محمد، وعلی آل محمد ... " إلخ، حین سألوه عن کیفیه الصلاه علیه صلی الله علیه وسلم.

You have known from our previous discussions that in all

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1- Ibid, vol. 3, p. 1370, 3538
2- Ibid, vol. 5, p. 1959

the methods of making salat upon the Prophet, peace be upon him, there is mention of his Ahl al-Bayt and his family. This is why it is incorrect to make salat upon him, peace be upon him, alone. Rather, one must attach the family to him. In fact, one must mention the complete method from its beginning to its end, as it has been narrated, bound by his statement, peace be upon him “say: O Allah, send salat upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad….” when they asked him about the method of making salat upon him, peace be upon him.(1)

Interestingly, even our ‘Allamah does not conform with that same Sunnah in his statements above!(2) This reflects how bad the situation has become among the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah. It is mainly the Shi’ah who keep this Sunnah, while Sunnis invent and follow their own bid’ah in this matter. Whenever Shi’is intend to send salat upon the Prophet – especially in books, writings and speeches – they say “sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi” (“salat of Allah be upon him and his family” but often translated as “peace be upon him and his family”).

Sunnis, by contrast, traditionally delete the phrase “and his family” from their own salat! In fact, some of them go as far as actively opposing the Sunnah in order to justify their bid’ah. ‘Allamah al-Albani expresses his frustration on this matter too:

وإن من غرائب هذا العصر أن یتجرأ بعض الناس علی إنکار ما ثبت عنه صلی الله

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1- Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Asl Sifat al-Salat al-Nabi (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma’arif li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1427 H), vol. 3, p. 933
2- A likely explanation for this inconsistency is that ‘Allamah al-Albani is only referring to the mode of salat in the tashahhud during the five daily prayers. He has written all those words within its context. However, the ahadith which he has referenced are general in nature. The Sahabah did not ask the Rasul about the method of salat during the tashahhud only. Rather, they requested him to teach them the mode of salat in all circumstances, with explicit reference to the Verse of al-Salat which is also general in nature. If indeed the ‘Allamah had truly understood from the questions of the Sahabah that they were only asking about the mode of salat in the tashahhud, then he must really have had extremely poor comprehension skills.

علیه وسلم من طرق مستفیضه صحیحه؛ ألا وهو الصلاه علی النبی صلی الله علیه وسلم وعلی آله معاً، مع اطلاعه ووقوفه علیها فی کتب السنه {عن جمع من الصحابه؛ منهم کعب بن عجره، وأبو حمید الساعدی، وأبو سعید الخدری، وأبو مسعود الأنصاری، وأبو هریره، وطلحه ابن عبید الله، وفی أحادیثهم أنهم سألوا النبی صلی الله علیه وسلم: " کیف نصلی علیک؟"، فعلمهم صلی الله علیه وسلم هذه الصیغ}، ألا وهو: الأستاذ محمد إسعاف النشاشیبی فی کتابه "الإسلام الصحیح" (ص 177 - 189)، وحجته فی ذلک أن الآیه: {یا أیها الذین آمنوا صلوا علیه وسلموا تسلیما}؛ لم یُذکر فیها غیرَ النبی صلی الله علیه وسلم أحدٌ. وبناء علی ذلک رد الأحادیث الصحیحه کلها

One of the strange things of this time is how a person denies what is authentically transmitted from him, peace be upon him, through several, sahih chains – that is, the salat upon the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his family together with him, despite having seen and read it in the books of the Sunnah {from a number of the Sahabah, among them Ka’b b. ‘Ujrah, Abu Hamid al-Sa’di, Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, Abu Mas’ud al-Ansari, Abu Hurayrah and Talhah b. ‘Ubayd Allah; and in their ahadith, they asked the Prophet, peace be upon him, “How do we make salat upon you?”, and he, peace be upon him, taught them this method}.

That person is Prof. Muhammad Is’af al-Nashashibi in his book al-Islam al-Sahih (“The Correct Islam”), pp. 177-189, and his proof in that is that the verse

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{O you who believe! Make salat upon him and send salam upon him perfectly} does not mention anyone else apart from the Prophet, peace be upon him. On this basis, he denies all the sahih ahadith.(1)

It is our humble contention that this ugly situation was created by the extremely troubled history of Sunni Islam with the offspring of the Prophet of Allah. We will have more to say on this, later in this book.

In the salat upon the Messenger, we pray Allah to do two things:

To send His salat upon Muhammad and his family in exactly the same manner as He sent salat upon Ibrahim and his family.

To bless Muhammad and his family in exactly the same manner as He blessed Ibrahim and his family.

So, what does it mean that Allah sends salat upon someone? Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir (d. 774 H) gives us the answer:

قال البخاری : قال أبو العالیه : صلاه الله : ثناؤه علیه عند الملائکه ، وصلاه الملائکه : الدعاء.

Al-Bukhari said: Abu al-‘Aliyah said: “The salat of Allah is His praise of him among the angels, and the salat of the angels is al-du’a (the supplication).”(2)

In other words, we pray Allah to praise Muhammad and his family among His angels in exactly the same manner as He praised Ibrahim and his family among them. In that case, how did Allah praise Ibrahim and his family among the angels? To avoid prolonging the research, we will restrict ourselves to Ibrahim alone. The Qur’an has mentioned about him:

ما کان

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1- Ibid, vol. 3, p. 934
2- Abu al-Fida Isma’il b. ‘Umar b. Kathir al-Qurashi al-Dimashqi, Tafsir al-Qur’an al-‘Azim (Dar al-Taybah li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 2nd edition, 1420 H) [annotator: Sami b. Muhammad Salamah], vol. 6, p. 457

إبراهیم یهودیا ولا نصرانیا ولکن کان حنیفا مسلما وما کان من المشرکین

Ibrahim was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was an absolutely pure Muslim monotheist, and he was not one of the polytheists.(1)

This is a praise of our dear Prophet, Ibrahim, for his unadulterated Islamic faith. Allah also says:

إن إبراهیم لحلیم أواه منیب

Verily, Ibrahim was, without doubt, forbearing, used to invoke Allah with humility, and was repentant.(2)

And:

إن إبراهیم کان أمه قانتا لله حنیفا ولم یک من المشرکین شاکرا لأنعمه

Verily, Ibrahim was (himself) an Ummah, obedient to Allah, an absolutely pure monotheist, and he was not one of the polytheists. He was thankful for His Graces.(3)

And:

واذکر فی الکتاب إبراهیم إنه کان صدیقا نبیا

And mention in the Book Ibrahim. Verily, he was a man of truth, a prophet.(4)

And:

واذکر عبادنا إبراهیم وإسحاق ویعقوب أولی الأیدی والأبصار إنا أخلصناهم بخالصه ذکری الدار وإنهم عندنا لمن المصطفین الأخیار

And remember Our devout worshippers, Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya’qub, owners of strength and understanding. Verily, We chose them with the remembrance of the Home (i.e. the Hereafter). And they are with Us, verily, of the chosen and the best.(5)

And, finally:

وإبراهیم الذی وفی

And Ibrahim who thoroughly and faithfully fulfilled (the commandments of his Lord).(6)

These, without doubt, were part of the praises of Allah for His noble Prophet, Ibrahim, which He mentioned to His angels. We beseech Allah - in our salat - to say these same things about Muhammad and his family too. Of course, He never flatters. Therefore, He must first bestow these noble qualities upon

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1- Qur’an 3:67
2- Qur’an 11:75
3- Qur’an 16:120-121
4- Qur’an 19:41
5- Qur’an 38:45-47
6- Qur’an 53:37

the Ahl al-Bayt, and must then assist them to achieve the virtues. It is only after doing all this that He would mention the praises of Muhammad and his family to the angels.

Billions of Muslims – since the time of Muhammad, and including Muhammad himself and millions of pious awliya – have beseeched Allah for more than 1400 years to praise Muhammad and his family in His heavens, countless times everyday. Moreover, this massive du’a is based upon His Own Command and Formula. Therefore, we have absolutely no doubt that our Lord accepted the salat during the lifetime of His Prophet, and has continued to honour it, and will never cease to do so till the Hour.

In other words, He granted all the qualities and virtues of Prophet Ibrahim to Muhammad and his family, and helped them in reaching the best acts and sacrifices, and then praised them throughout His heavens, among His purified legions.

As part of our salat, we further pray Allah to bless Muhammad and his family in exactly the same manner as He blessed Ibrahim and his family. This is perhaps the most important aspect of the whole du’a. We ask our Lord to grant the same blessings which He gave Ibrahim and his family to Muhammad and his family as well. So, what were Allah’s blessings upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim? Well, one of them is mentioned in this verse:

إن الله اصطفی آدم ونوحا وآل إبراهیم وآل عمران علی العالمین ذریه بعضها من

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بعض والله سمیع علیم

Verily, Allah chose Adam, Nuh, the family of Ibrahim and the family of Imran above the worlds.(1)

Therefore, Allah blessed Ibrahim and his family by choosing them above all the worlds. They were superior to all other creatures of our Lord, and none can be master over them except someone from amongst them. There is no doubt that Allah has blessed Muhammad and his family in this same way as too. He has chosen them above all the worlds, and none can be their leader in anything except someone from amongst them.

Concerning the same family, Allah declares:

فقد آتینا آل إبراهیم الکتاب والحکمه وآتیناهم ملکا عظیما

We have granted the Book and the Hikmah to the family of Ibrahim, and We gave them a great kingdom.(2)

And:

أولئک الذین آتیناهم الکتاب والحکم والنبوه

They are those whom We gave the Book, the authority, and prophethood.(3)

And:

ولقد آتینا بنی إسرائیل الکتاب والحکم والنبوه ورزقناهم من الطیبات وفضلناهم علی العالمین

And indeed, We gave the offspring of Israil the Book, and authority and prophethood, and We provided them with good things, AND WE MADE THEM SUPERIOR ABOVE THE WORLDS.(4)

Our God fixed some five things within the family of Ibrahim: prophethood, scriptures, authority, and kingdom. None could be a prophet except someone from that blessed family. Moreover, none could receive divine scripture except he was one of them. None could legally exercise authority except a leader from their family; and – by extension - none could be a legitimate king except he was from them.

Above all, members

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1- Qur’an 3:33
2- Qur’an 4:54
3- Qur’an 6:89
4- Qur’an 45:16

of their family were the best of Allah’s creation in all their Ummahs. In the same manner, by virtue of Hadith al-Salat, Allah has fixed the same five blessings within the family of Muhammad too. Two of them – prophethood and the Book - got restricted to Muhammad himself alone due to his Lord’s Decree. As for the remaining three, however, they are in his family, and will continue among them only - till the Hour.

12) The Verse of Al-Imamah: The Heirs of Ibrahim and Muhammad

One of the greatest blessings of Allah upon Ibrahim and his family, ‘alaihim al-salam, was that He made them Imams of mankind. The Qur’an has informed us about this. For instance, it states concerning Prophet Ibrahim, ‘alaihi al-salam:

وإذ ابتلی إبراهیم ربه بکلمات فأتمهن قال إنی جاعلک للناس إماما قال ومن ذریتی قال لا ینال عهدی الظالمین

And when Ibrahim was tried by his Lord with some statements, and he fulfilled them, He said, “I will appoint you an Imam OF MANKIND.” He (Ibrahim) asked, “And of my offspring?” He (Allah) replied, “My Covenant shall not reach the wrongdoers.”(1)

Often, our brothers from the Ahl al-Sunnah confuse the Imamah mentioned in this verse with al-nubuwwah (prophethood). However, the matter itself is totally clear. Every prophet or messenger, except Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, was sent only to his people. None of them was ever sent to all of mankind:

وما أرسلنا من رسول إلا بلسان قومه لیبین لهم

We sent not a messenger except with the language of HIS PEOPLE in order that he

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1- Qur’an 2:124

might clearly explain TO THEM.(1)

Imam Ahmad (d. 241 H) also records:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا هشیم أنا سیار عن یزید الفقیر عن جابر بن عبد الله قال قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم أعطیت خمسا لم یعطهن أحد قبلی بعثت إلی الأحمر والأسود وکان النبی إنما یبعث إلی قومه خاصه وبعثت إلی الناس عامه

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Hushaym – Sayyar – Yazid al-Faqir – Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “I have been given five things which were never given to anyone before me. I have been sent to the red and the black. The prophet used to be sent to HIS PEOPLE ONLY, and I have been sent to all mankind.”(2)

Al-Arnaut comments:

إسناده صحیح علی شرط الشیخین

Its chain is sahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.(3)

Imam Muslim (d. 261 H) too has this:

حدثنا یحیی بن یحیی أخبرنا هشیم عن سیار عن یزید الفقیر عن جابر بن عبدالله الأنصاری قال قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم أعطیت خمسا لم یعطهن أحد قبلی کان کل نبی یبعث إلی قومه خاصه وبعثت إلی کل أحمر وأسود

Yahya b. Yahya – Hushaym – Sayyar – Yazid al-Faqir – Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah al-Ansari:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “I have been given five things which were never given to anyone before me. Every prophet was sent to HIS PEOPLE ONLY, while I have been sent to every red person and every black person.”(4)

So:

As

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1- Qur’an 14:4
2- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 3, p. 304, 14303
3- Ibid
4- Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 1, p. 370, 521 (3)

a prophet and messenger, Prophet Ibrahim was sent to his people only.

But as an Imam, his assignment covered all human beings of his time – including even all the contemporary prophets and messengers.

Needless to say, whoever insists that “Imam” means “prophet” must explain how Ibrahim – the Khalil of al-Rahman - was made the prophet of all mankind during his time!

There are a number of other points from the verse that must be noted:

وإذ ابتلی إبراهیم ربه بکلمات فأتمهن قال إنی جاعلک للناس إماما قال ومن ذریتی قال لا ینال عهدی الظالمین

And when Ibrahim was tried by his Lord with some statements, and he fulfilled them, He said, “I will appoint you an Imam of mankind.” He (Ibrahim) asked, “And of my offspring?” He (Allah) replied, “My Covenant shall not reach the wrongdoers.”

Firstly, Allah identifies Imamah as His Covenant. This means that it is solely His affair. He Alone decides and defines it. Therefore, it is He Who grants it and makes its appointments. It is NOT their affair. As such, they have no control whatsoever over it. Secondly, it never gets to wrongdoers. Allah will NEVER permit Imamah to get to any wrongdoer till the Day of Resurrection. Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir (d. 774 H) explains further:

قال الله تعالی} :وإذ ابتلی إبراهیم ربه بکلمات فأتمهن، قال إنی جاعلک للناس إماما، قال ومن ذرتی؟ قال لا ینال عهدی الظالمین {لما وفی ما أمره به ربه من التکالیف العظیمه، جعله للناس إماما یقتدون به ویأتمون بهدیه .وسأل الله أن تکون هذه

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الإمامه متصله بسببه، وباقیه فی نسبه، وخالده فی عقبه فأجیب إلی ما سأل وسلمت إلیه الإمامه بزمام، واستثنی من نیلها الظالمون، واختص بها من ذریته العلماء العاملون.

Allah the Most High says: {And when Ibrahim was tried by his Lord with some statements, and he fulfilled them, He said, “I will appoint you an Imam of mankind.” He (Ibrahim) asked, “And of my offspring?” He (Allah) replied, “My Covenant shall not reach the wrong-doers.”}

When he fulfilled the huge obligations which his Lord commanded him with, he appointed him the Imam of mankind, whom they must follow, and whose guidance they must copy. He requested Allah that this Imamah be connected with his lineage, and be uninterrupted within his offspring, and be perpetual forever among his offspring. So, what he asked WAS GRANTED, and he was granted full authority of Imamah, and the wrong-doers were excluded from its reach, and it was made exclusive to the righteous scholars among his offspring.(1)

In other words, Imamah has never ceased on the earth – at least, since the time of Ibrahim. It has remained “uninterrupted”, “perpetual” and “forever”, within the offspring of Ibrahim the Khalil. Therefore, there is always an Imam for all mankind from the offspring of Prophet Ibrahim. In fact, there is one right now! Moreover, Imamah never gets to wrong-doers. Therefore, the Imam from the offspring of al-Khalil is one who never does wrong. With these facts, would it still be wise to insist that Imamah is prophethood? Is nubuwwah “uninterrupted”,

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1- Abu al-Fida Isma’il b. Kathir, Qisas al-Anbiya (Dar al-Kutub al-Hadithah; 1st edition, 1388 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Wahid], vol. 1, p. 232; Abu al-Fida Isma’il b. Kathir al-Dimashqi, al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah (Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi; 1st edition, 1408 H) [annotator: ‘Ali Shiri], vol. 1, p. 191

“perpetual” and “forever”?

Prof. Ibn Yasin records:

أخرج الطبری بسنده الصحیح عن مجاهد (قال لاینال عهدی الظالمین) قال: لا یکون إماما ظالما.

Al-Tabari records with his sahih chain from Mujahid that he said: “(My Covenant shall not reach the wrongdoers) There will never be an Imam who does wrong.”(1)

Meanwhile, the offspring of Ibrahim al-Khalil, as Allah states, are in two categories only:

سلام علی إبراهیم کذلک نجزی المحسنین إنه من عبادنا المؤمنین وبشرناه بإسحاق نبیا من الصالحین وبارکنا علیه وعلی إسحاق ومن ذریتهما محسن وظالم لنفسه مبین

Peace be upon Ibrahim. Thus indeed do We reward the good-doers. Verily, he was one of Our believing slaves. And We gave him the glad tidings of Ishaq, a prophet from the righteous. We blessed him (i.e. Ibrahim) and Ishaq, and of their offspring are good-doers and some that are plainly wrongdoers to themselves.(2)

Of course, anyone who disobeys Allah is someone who wrongs himself:

ومن یتعد حدود الله فقد ظلم نفسه

And whosoever transgresses the set limits of Allah, then indeed he has wronged himself.(3)

We also read:

ومن یتعد حدود الله فأولئک هم الظالمون

And whosoever transgresses the set limits of Allah, then such are the wrongdoers.(4)

Imam Salihi al-Shami (d. 942 H) explains:

معنی قوله تعالی}: ومن یتعد حدود الله فأولئک هم الظالمون) {البقره ٢٢٩ (وذلک أن حدود الله هی محارمه ونواهیه

The meaning of the Most High’s Statement: {And whosoever transgresses the set limits of Allah, such are the wrongdoers} {Baqarah: 229), that is, the set limits of Allah are things He has made haram and His prohibitions.(5)

‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H)

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1- Prof. Dr. Hikmat b. Bashir b. Yasin, Mawsu’at al-Sahih al-Masbur min al-Tafsir bi al-Mathur (Madinah: Dar al-Mathar li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’ wa al-Taba’at; 1st edition, 1420 H), vol. 1, p. 229
2- Qur’an 37:109-113
3- Qur’an 65:1
4- Qur’an 2:229
5- Muhammad b. Yusuf al-Salihi al-Shami, Subul al-Huda al-Rashad fi Sirah Khayr al-‘Ibad (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1414 H) [annotators: ‘Adil Ahmad ‘Abd al-Mawjud and ‘Ali Muhammad Ma’ud], vol. 2, p. 289

submits that the scope is far wider than that:

من تعدی بکل عمل وقته الذی حده الله تعالی لذلک العمل فقد تعدی حدود الله وقال تعالی: }ومن یتعد حدود الله فأولئک هم الظالمون{

Whosoever exceeds, in performing an act, the time set for that act by Allah the Most High, he has transgressed the limits of Allah, and the Most High says: {And whosoever transgresses the limits of Allah, then such are the wrong-doers}.(1)

And Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 606 H) seals it:

قوله تعالی} :لا ینال عهدی الظالمین {فکل من أقدم علی الذنب کان ظالما لنفسه لقوله تعالی} :فمنهم ظالم لنفسه{

His Statement {My Covenant shall not reach the wrongdoers}: So, whosoever commits a sin, he is a wrongdoer to himself due to His, the Most High’s Statement: {And of them are those who wrong themselves} [35:32](2)

So, any descendant of Prophet Ibrahim who delays his Salat, for instance, without any cogent excuse or who does anything haram or prohibited, is a wrongdoer, and – as a result – can never be an Imam. Without any doubt, every sinner breaks a limit set by Allah in order to become one! As such, all sinners among the progeny of Ibrahim are automatically and absolutely disqualified and barred from Imamah.

Allah informs us of some of the Imams from Ibrahim’s immediate offspring:

ووهبنا له إسحاق ویعقوب نافله وکلا جعلنا صالحین وجعلناهم أئمه یهدون بأمرنا

And We bestowed upon him (i.e. Ibrahim) Ishaq and Ya’qub. Each one We made righteous. And We appointed them Imams, guiding by Our Command.(3)

We know

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1- Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh al-Albani, Al-Thamar al-Mustatab fi Fiqh al-Sunnah wa al-Kitab (Gharas li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1422 H), p. 70
2- Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, ‘Ismat al-Anbiya (1406 H), p. 14
3- Qur’an 21:72-73

from this verse that Imams are guides. Secondly, they guide by the Command of Allah. This means three things. One, their Imamah is bestowed by an explicit Decree from Allah. This, of course, is very obvious already. Two, these Imams themselves stick to the Commands of Allah, and never deviate from it. This too is very apparent, since they never wrong themselves. Three, the Imams hold the Command of Allah.

So, their commands are Commands of Allah, and their prohibitions are Prohibitions of Allah. Obedience to them is obedience to Allah, and disobedience to them is disobedience to Allah. Moreover, it is interesting that Allah has used the plural (جعلناهم) while mentioning the Imams. This clearly is to indicate that Ishaq and Ya’qub were not the only Imams in the immediate lineage of Ibrahim. There were several others that have not been mentioned.

Among the Israelites, there were equally many Imams chosen by Allah, from the offspring of Ibrahim:

ولقد آتینا موسی الکتاب فلا تکن فی مریه من لقائه وجعلناه هدی لبنی إسرائیل وجعلنا منهم أئمه یهدون بأمرنا لما صبروا وکانوا بآیاتنا یوقنون

And indeed We gave Musa the Book. So be not you in doubt of meeting him. And We made it a guide to the Children of Israel. And We appointed from among them Imams guiding by Our Command, when they (i.e. the Imams) were patient and used to believe with certainty (yaqin) in Our Verses.(1)

There are two quick questions at this point:

Are there any Imams from the offspring of

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1- Qur’an 32:23-24

Ibrahim in our Ummah too?

If there are, who are they?

This hadith of Imam Abu Ya’la (d. 307 H) gives the first hint:

حدثنا الحسن بن إسماعیل أبو سعید بالبصره حدثنا إبراهیم بن سعد عن أبیه عن أنس رضی الله عنه قال : قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم : الأئمه من قریش

Al-Hasan b. Isma’il Abu Sa’id – Ibrahim b. Sa’d – his father – Anas, may Allah be pleased with him:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “The Imams are from Quraysh.”(1)

Shaykh Dr. Asad says:

إسناده صحیح

Its chain is sahih(2)

This hadith is actually mutawatir, as al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) declares:

حدیث: "الأئمه من قریش"، النسائی عن أنس، ورواه الطبرانی فی الدعاء، والبزار والبیهقی من طرق عن أنس .قلت: وقد جمعت طرقه فی جزء مفرد عن نحو من أربعین صحابیا

The hadith “The Imams are from Quraysh” is recorded by al-Nasai from Anas, and al-Tabarani narrated it in al-Du’a, and al-Bazzar and al-Bayhaqi also narrated it, through several chains, from Anas. I say: I gathered its chains in a separate volume from forty Sahabah.(3)

This hadith establishes absolutely that there are Imams in this Ummah from the offspring of Ibrahim who hold the Covenant of Allah and guide the rest of us by His Command. Most importantly, all of these Imams are appointed by Allah, and none of them ever goes against His Laws, before and during his Imamah. A crucial point to note, also, is that all our Imams are from the tribe of Quraysh.

Meanwhile, Quraysh is a large tribe, with

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1- Abu Ya’la Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Muthanna al-Mawsili al-Tamimi, Musnad (Damascus: Dar al-Mamun li al-Turath; 1st edition, 1404 H) [annotator: Dr. Husayn Salim Asad], vol. 6, p. 321, 3644
2- Ibid
3- Abu al-Fadhl Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Talkhis al-Habir (Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1419 H), vol. 4, p. 116, 1730

several clans. Are the Imams spread across the entire tribe? Or, are they concentrated in a single clan? Our answers are firmly established in this salat:

اللهم بارک علی محمد وعلی آل محمد کما بارکت علی إبراهیم وعلی آل إبراهیم إنک حمید مجید

O Allah! Bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, in exactly the same manner as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious.(1)

Undeniably, Ibrahim and his offspring were the Imams of their past Ummahs. So, Muhammad and his family are the Imams of their present Ummah. Allah has blessed Muhammad and his family in exactly the same manner as He blessed Ibrahim and his family. Therefore, Muhammad was the Imam of mankind during his lifetime, as Ibrahim was; and the family of Muhammad are the Imams after Muhammad, as the family of Ibrahim were after Ibrahim.

We must not forget also that the family of Muhammad have been “chosen” by Allah above all creation of their times. Let us remind ourselves of this crucial submission by Prof. Ibn Yasin:

}إن الله اصطفی آدم ونوحا وآل إبراهیم وآل عمران علی العالمین {

أخرج الطبری وابن أبی حاتم بسندیهما الحسن عن علی بن أبی طلحه عن ابن عباس قال: هم المؤمنون من آل إبراهیم وآل عمران: آل یاسین وآل محمد یقول الله عز وجل (إن أولی الناس بإبراهیم للذین اتبعوه).

{Verily, Allah chose Adam, Nuh, the family of Ibrahim and the family of Imran above the worlds}

Al-Tabari and Ibn Abi Hatim record with their hasan chain from

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1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 3, p. 1233, 3190

‘Ali b. Abi Talhah from Ibn ‘Abbas that he said, “They are the believers from the family of Ibrahim, the family of ‘Imran, the family of Yasin AND THE FAMILY OF MUHAMMAD. Allah the Most Glorious say: {Verily, the most entitled to Ibrahim are those who followed him}.”(1)

We must equally remember Hadith al-Thaqalayn, which leaves no doubt about the identity of the supreme guides of humanity after Muhammad:

یا أیها الناس إنی قد ترکت فیکم ما إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا کتاب الله وعترتی أهل بیتی

O mankind! I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt.

Supreme guides of mankind, of course, are always the Imams:

وجعلناهم أئمه یهدون بأمرنا

And We appointed them Imams, GUIDING by Our Command.(2)

13) Hadith Al-Thaqalayn: Clarifying The Confusions Of Ibn Taymiyyah (Part 1)

Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 H) says:

والذی رواه مسلم انه بغدیر خم قال إنی تارک فیکم الثقلین کتاب الله فذکر کتاب الله وحض علیه ثم قال وعثرتی أهل بیتی أذکرکم الله فی أهل بیتی ثلاثا وهذا مما انفرد به مسلم ولم یروه البخاری وقد رواه الترمذی وزاد فیه وانهما لن یفترقا حتی یردا علی الحوض

وقد طعن غیر واحد من الحفاظ فی هذه الزیاده وقال إنها لیست من الحدیث والذین اعتقدوا صحتها قالوا إنما یدل علی أن مجموع العتره الذین هم بنو هاشم لا یتفقون علی ضلاله وهذا قاله طائفه من أهل السنه وهو من أجوبه القاضی أبی یعلی وغیره

والحدیث الذی فی مسلم إذا کان النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم قد قاله فلیس فیه

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1- Prof. Dr. Hikmat b. Bashir b. Yasin, Mawsu’at al-Sahih al-Masbur min al-Tafsir bi al-Mathur (Madinah: Dar al-Mathar li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’ wa al-Taba’at; 1st edition, 1420 H), vol. 1, p. 411
2- Qur’an 21: 73

إلا الوصیه باتباع کتاب الله وهذا أمر قد تقدمت الوصیه به فی حجه الوداع قبل ذلک وهو لم یأمر باتباع العتره لکن قال أذکرکم الله فی أهل بیتی وتذکیر الأمه بهم یقتضی أن یذکروا ما تقدم الأمر به قبل ذلک من إعطائهم حقوقهم والامتناع من ظلمهم وهذا أمر قد تقدم بیانه قبل غدیر خم

As for that which is narrated by (Imam) Muslim, that at Ghadir Khumm he (the Prophet) said: “I am leaving behind over you the two weighty things (al-thaqalayn): the Book of Allah” – and he mentioned the Book of Allah and focused exclusively on it, then he said – “and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt. I remind you, by Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt” three times, this is one of the reports which are documented by (Imam) Muslim alone, and al-Bukhari did not record it. Al-Tirmidhi narrated it, and recorded an additional part for it: “Verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.”

Many of the hadith scientists have criticized this additional part, and he said: “It is not part of the hadith”. As for those who believed in its authenticity, they said, “It only proves that the ‘itrah as a whole, who are the Banu Hashim, will never agree on an error.” This is what a group from the Ahl al-Sunnah say, and it is from the replies of al-Qadhi Abu Ya’la and others.

And the hadith in (Sahih) Muslim – if the Prophet, peace be upon him, really said it

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– there is nothing in it except a command to follow the Book of Allah (alone); and the command for this matter had already been given before that during the Farewell Hajj, and he did not give a command to follow the offspring (‘itrah).

Rather, he said, “I remind you, by Allah, of my Ahl al-Bayt.” The remembrance of them by the Ummah means that they must remember what had previously been commanded before that, in terms of giving them their rights and refraining from oppressing them. And this matter had already been explained before Ghadir Khumm.(1)

He also says:

وأما قوله وعترتی أهل بیتی وأنهما لن یفترقا حتی یردا علی الحوض فهذا رواه الترمذی وقد سئل عنه احمد بن حنبل فضعفه وضعفه غیر واحد من أهل العلم وقالوا لا یصح وقد أجاب عنه طائفه بما یدل علی أن أهل بیته کلهم لا یجتمعون علی ضلاله قالوا ونحن نقول بذلک کما ذکر القاضی أبو یعلی وغیره

As for his statement “and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt. Verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount”, this is recorded by al-Tirmidhi. Ahmad b. Hanbal was asked about it, and he declared it dha’if, and many of the people of knowledge equally classified it as dha’if and said, “It is not authentic”. A group have also replied it with that which proves that his Ahl al-Bayt altogether do not agree on an error. They said “We too say that” as al-Qadi Abu Ya’la and others mentioned.(2)

The arguments of our

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1- Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad b. ‘Abd al-Halim b. Taymiyyah al-Harrani, Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah (Muasassat Qurtubah; 1st edition, 1406 H) [annotator: Dr. Muhammad Rashad Salim], vol. 7, p. 318
2- Ibid, vol. 7, pp. 394-395

Shaykh, in simplified forms, are:

There are only two versions of Hadith al-Thaqalayn: that of Sahih Muslim and the other of Sunan al-Tirmidhi.

The version of al-Tirmidhi was declared dha’if by Ahmad and the other people of knowledge.

The version of Sahih Muslim is doubtful too, which is why Ibn Taymiyyah says about it: “if the Prophet really said it”.

The version in Sahih Muslim only commands the Ummah to follow the Qur’an alone. It contains no order to follow the Ahl al-Bayt.

So, no one is obliged to follow the Ahl al-Bayt.

The ‘itrah of the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, are all of Banu Hashim, including all those who are not from his offspring.

These submissions of our dear Shaykh – as usual – contain several levels of misleading information. First and foremost, every single version of the hadith is sahih as we have proved so far – whether that of Sahih Muslim, or Sunan al-Tirmidhi or others. None of them is dha’if. So, even if Ahmad b. Hanbal and some other Sunni ‘ulama had declared some versions of the hadith as dha’if, they would have made such statements in error. Meanwhile, errors of scholars are not followed in Islam, nor are they accepted as hujjah. All the various versions of Hadith al-Thaqalayn have been narrated through sahih or hasan chains. As such, there is no doubt about their authenticity.

Secondly, as Ibn Taymiyyah himself admits, the Prophet had described the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt as “the Two Weighty Things” (thaqalayn). This, of course, was

p: 100

primarily to stress the significance of following them both! Let us remind the esteemed reader of the words of Imam Ibn al-Athir (d. 606 H), a leading classical Sunni hadith linguist, in this regard:

]إنی تارک فیکم الثقلین : کتاب الله وعترت] سماهما ثقلین لأن الأخذ بهما والعمل بهما ثقیل . ویقال لکک خطیر نفیس ثقل فسماهما ثقلین إعظاما لقدرهما وتفخیما لشأنهما.

[I am leaving among you the Two Weighty Things: the Book of Allah and my offspring], he named them both thaqalayn because holding fast to them both and following them are weighty (responsibilities). And every priceless weighty thing is called thaqal. Therefore, he named them thaqalayn to highlight their significance and to extol their importance.(1)

So, it is absolutely proved from that term – thaqalayn – alone that the Messenger was forcefully commanding his entire Ummah to follow both the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt after him. The conclusion of Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah is, therefore, a clear misrepresentation of the true instruction of the Prophet of Islam.

Thirdly, our Shaykh has defined the ‘itrah of the Prophet as being the whole of Banu Hashim. This obviously converts the meaning of the word from “offspring” to “clan”. However, this contradicts the default, customary definition of the term. Ibn Manzur, the ace Sunni lexicographer, submits on the word “‘itrah”:

والعامه تظن أنها ولد الرجل خاصه وأن عتره رسول الله، صلی الله علیه وسلم، ولد فاطمه، رضی الله عنها، هذا قول ابن سیده

The common masses claim that it (i.e. ‘itrah) refers to the offspring of the

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1- Abu Sa’dat al-Mubarak b. Muhammad, Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari, al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith wa al-Athar (Beirut: al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1399 AH) [annotator: Tahir Ahmad al-Zawi and Mahmud Muhammad al-Tanahi], vol. 1, p. 216

man alone, and that the ‘itrah of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, are the offspring of Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her. This was the statement of Ibn Sayyiduh.(1)

Of course, the Messenger of Allah was certainly speaking in the language of the common masses to all of humanity!

Even then, the “offspring” in Hadith al-Thaqalayn are only a few people, and not everyone who is descended from the Prophet. As ‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) records, he identified those intended as his offspring in the ahadith as his khalifahs:

إنی تارک فیکم خلیفتین: کتاب الله حبل ممدود ما بین السماء والأرض وعترتی أهل بیتی وإنهما لن یتفرقا حتی یردا علی الحوض

I am leaving behind over you TWO KHALIFAHS: the Book of Allah - a rope stretching between the heaven and the earth – and my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt. Verily, both shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.(2)

Then, the ‘Allamah comments:

صحیح

Sahih(3)

Therefore, anyone who is not a khalifah from the progeny of Muhammad – however pious or knowledgeable he or she is - is excluded from the “offspring” in the ahadith. This automatically excludes all females from the loins of the Messenger. A female can never be a legitimate khalifah in Islam. Moreover, even the number of these male khalifahs from the Ahl al-Bayt is only twelve, as declared by the Prophet himself.

Therefore, only twelve people from the bloodline of Muhammad are included in Hadith al-Thaqalayn. Imam Ahmad (d. 241 H) has

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1- Abu al-Fadhl Jamal al-Din Muhammad b. Mukram b. Manzur al-Afriqi al-Misri, Lisan al-‘Arab (Beirut: Dar Sadir; 1st edition), vol. 4, p. 536
2- Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami’ al-Saghir wa Ziyadatuhu (Al-Maktab al-Islami), vol. 1, p. 482, 2457
3- Ibid

this authentic hadith:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا مؤمل بن إسماعیل ثنا حماد بن سلمه حدثنا داود بن هند عن الشعبی عن جابر بن سمره قال سمعت النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم یقول یکون لهذه الأمه اثنا عشر خلیفه

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Mumal b. Isma’il – Hammad b. Salamah – Dawud b. Hind – al-Shu’bi – Jabir b. Samurah:

I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying: “There will be for this Ummah TWELVE KHALIFAHS.”(1)

Shaykh al-Arnaut says:

حدیث صحیح

It is a sahih hadith.(2)

So, any other khalifah apart from these twelve is NOT “for” this Ummah. He is only an impostor. This riwayah is extremely significant.

Ahmad again documents:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا هاشم ثنا زهیر ثنا زیاد بن خیثمه عن الأسود بن سعید الهمدانی عن جابر بن سمره قال سمعت رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم أو قال قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم یکون بعدی اثنا عشر خلیفه کلهم من قریش

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Hashim – Zuhayr – Ziyad b. Khaythamah – al-Aswad b. Sa’id al-Hamdani – Jabir b. Samurah:

I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying, or the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “THERE WILL BE AFTER ME TWELVE KHALIFAHS, all of them from Quraysh.”(3)

Al-Arnaut comments:

حدیث صحیح

It is a sahih hadith(4)

There will no be more than twelve khalifahs after the Rasul. This hadith is explicit and emphatic.

Another point to note is that the khilafah of

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1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 5, p. 106, 21051
2- Ibid
3- Ibid, vol. 5, p. 92, 20890
4- Ibid

the twelve from Quraysh, from the Prophet’s offspring, shall remain continuous, unbroken and uninterrupted till the Last Hour. Imam Muslim (d. 261 H) records in this regard:

حدثنا قتیبه بن سعید وأبو بکر بن أبی شیبه قالا حدثنا حاتم (وهو ابن إسماعیل) عن المهاجر بن مسمار عن عامر بن سعد بن أبی وقاص قال کتبت إلی جابر بن مره مع غلامی نافع أن أخبرنی بشیء سمعته من رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم قال فکتب لی سمعت رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم یوم جمعه عشیه رجم الأسلمی یقول (لا یزال الدین قائما حتی تقوم الساعه أو یکون علیکم اثنا عشر خلیفه کلهم من قریش)

Qutaybah b. Sa’id and Abu Bakr b. Abi Shaybah – Hatim b. Isma’il – al-Muhajir b. Musmar – ‘Amir b. Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas:

I sent a letter to Jabir b. Samurah through my servant, Nafi’, to inform me of something he heard from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. So, he wrote in reply back to me: “I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying on a Friday, on the eve of the stoning of al-Aslami, saying: ‘The religion will never cease to stand until the establishment of the Hour or as long as there are twelve khalifahs over you, all of them from Quraysh.’”(1)

In simpler words, the rule of the twelve khalifahs will remain uninterrupted as long as Islam, as a religion, “stands” on the surface of the earth. Meanwhile, Islam will never fall until the Hour. So, the

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1- Ibid, vol. 3, p. 1453, 1822 (10)

rule of the twelve khalifah will last continuously till al-Qiyamah. The very moment their rule ceases, Islam will collapse.

The same point is emphasized in this hadith of Imam Ibn Abi ‘Asim (d. 287 H):

ثنا الحسن بن علی، ثنا سنید بن داود، عن حجاج، عن ابن جریج، حدثنی محمد بن طلحه، عن معاویه بن أبی سفیان أنه قال وهو علی المنبر أن رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسل قال:لا یزال والی من قریش.

Al-Hasan b. ‘Ali – Sunayd b. Dawud – Hajjaj – Ibn Jurayj – Muhammad b. Talhah – Mu’awiyah b. Abi Sufyan, who said while on the pulpit:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “There will never cease to be a wali from Quraysh.”(1)

Al-Albani comments:

حدیث صحیح

A sahih hadith.(2)

The authority of the wali is called al-wilayah. A reference is made to this, in an hadith of Imam Muslim:

حدثنا ابن أبی عمر حدثنا سفیان عن عبدالملک بن عمیر عن جابر بن سمره قال سمعت النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم یقول (لا یزال أمر الناس ماضیا ما ولیهم اثنا عشر رجلا) ثم تکلم النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم بکلمه خفیت علی فسألت أبی ماذا قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم؟ فقال ( کلهم من قریش)

Ibn Abi ‘Umar – Sufyan – ‘Abd al-Malik b. ‘Umayr – Jabir b. Samurah:

I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying: “The affairs of humanity will never cease to continue as long as twelve men rule them by wilayah.” Then, the Prophet, peace be upon him said a sentence which was not

p: 105


1- Abu Bakr b. Abi ‘Asim, Ahmad b. ‘Amr b. al-Dhahhak b. Mukhlid al-Shaybani, Kitab al-Sunnah (al-Maktab al-Islami; 1st edition, 1400 H) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 2, p. 533, 1126
2- Ibid

clear to me. So, I asked my father: “What did the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say?” He replied, “All of them will be from Quraysh.”(1)

This hadith, which is extremely crucial, establishes the following points:

The authority of the twelve men is over all of humanity.

As long as human affairs continue on the earth, then one of these twelve men is exercising wilayah over them.

There is always a wali from Quraysh over humanity as a whole at every point in time.

Human affairs on our planet will end with the wilayah of the twelve men only.

Another key fact about these twelve men is that they are all kings. They are all royal khalifahs, in a dynastic system. Imam Ahmad here presents the relevant hadith:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا یونس بن محمد ثنا حماد یعنی بن زید ثنا مجالد عن الشعبی عن جابر بن سمره قال خطبنا رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم بعرفات فقال لن یزال هذا الأمر عزیزا منیعا ظاهرا علی من ناوأه حتی یملک اثنا عشر کلهم قال فلم أفهم ما بعد قال فقلت لأبی ما بعد کلهم قال کلهم من قریش

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) - Yunus b. Muhammad – Hammad b. Zayd – Mujalid – al-Sha’bi – Jabir b. Samurah:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, delivered a sermon to us at ‘Arafat and said, “This affair will never cease to be strong, invincible and victorious over whoever opposes it as long as twelve (people) rule by kingdom.

p: 106


1- Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 3, p. 1452, 1821 (6)

All of them….”

(Jabir said): I did not understand what was said after that. So, I said to my father, “What did he say after ‘all of them…’?”. He replied, “All of them will be from Quraysh.”(1)

Al-Arnaut says:

حدیث صحیح

A sahih hadith(2)

Imam Ibn Hibban (d. 354 H) here documents a mutaba’ah for Mujalid:

حدثنا إبراهیم بن نصر العنبری بسمرقند قال ثنا علی بن خشرم قال ثنا عیسی بن یونس عن عمران القبی عن الشعبی عن جابر بن سمره قال سمعت النبی صلی الله علیه وسلم یقول فی حجه الوداع لا یزال أمر هذه الأمه عالیا علی من ناواها حتی یملک اثنا عشر خلیفه

Ibrahim b. Nasr al-Anbari – ‘Ali b. Khashram – ‘Isa b. Yunus – ‘Imran al-Qubi – al-Sha’bi – Jabir b. Samurah:

I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying during the Farewell Hajj: “The affair of this Ummah will never cease to be victorious over whoever opposes it as long as twelve khalifahs rule by kingdom.”(3)

Meanwhile, Imam al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 H) has recorded an interesting shahid:

حدثنا أحمد بن منیع حدثنا زید بن حباب حدثنا معاویه بن صالح حدثنا أبو مریم الأنصاری عن أبی هریره قال قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم الملک فی قریش

Ahmad b. Mani’ – Zayd b. Hubbab – Mu’awiyah b. Salih – Abu Maryam al-Ansari – Abu Hurayrah:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “THE KINGDOM is in Quraysh.”(4)

‘Allamah al-Albani comments:

صحیح

Sahih(5)

Imam Ahmad has written it too:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی حدثنا زید بن الحباب حدثنا معاویه بن صالح قال حدثنی أبو مریم انه

p: 107


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 5, p. 96, 20944
2- Ibid
3- Abu Hatim Muhammad b. Hibban b. Ahmad al-Tamimi al-Busti, Kitab al-Thiqat (Hyderabad: Majlis Dairat al-Ma’arif al-‘Uthmaniyyah; 1st edition, 1393 H), vol. 7, pp. 241-242, 9878
4- Abu ‘Isa Muhammad b. ‘Isa al-Sulami al-Tirmidhi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih Sunan al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 5, p. 727 3936
5- Ibid

سمع أبا هریره یقول قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم الملک فی قریش

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Zayd b. al-Hubbab – Mu’awiyah b. Salih – Abu Maryam – Abu Hurayrah:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “THE KINGDOM is in Quraysh.”(1)

Assessing the sanad, al-Albani says:

وهذا إسناد صحیح رجاله ثقات رجال مسلم غیر أبی مریم وهو الأنصاری وهو ثقه کما فی التقریب

This chain is sahih. Its narrators are thiqah (trustworthy), narrators of (Sahih) Muslim, apart from Abu Maryam, and he is al-Ansari, and he is thiqah (trustworthy) as stated in al-Taqrib.(2)

Then, he adds:

قلت: زید ثقه صدوق کما فی " المیزان " وقد رفعه، وهی زیاده یجب قبولها کما تقرر فی المصطلح.

I say: Zayd is thiqah (trustworthy), saduq (very truthful) as stated in al-Mizan, and he has narrated it in a marfu’ manner. It is a ziyadah which must be accepted as it has been repeatedly mentioned in al-Mustalah.(3)

In another hadith, the Prophet interchanged “kingdom” and “khilafah”. Imam Ibn Abi ‘Asim records:

ثنا أبو صالح هدبه بن عبد الوهاب، حدثنا النضر بن شمیل، ثنا شعبه، عن حبیب بن الزبیر، عن عبد الله بن أبی الهذیل قال: کنا نجالس عمرو ابن العاص نذاکره الفقه فقال رجل من بکر لتنتهین قریش أو لیجعلن الله هذا الأمر فی جمهور من جماهیر العرب فقال عمرو بن العاص: کذبت سمعت رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم یقول: الخلافه فی قریش إلی قیام الساعه.

Abu Salih Hudbah b. ‘Abd al-Wahhab – al-Nadhr b. Shumayl – Shu’bah – Habib b. al-Zubayr

p: 108


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 2, p. 364, 8746
2- Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihah wa Shayhun min Fiqhihah wa Fawaidihah (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma’arif li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1415 H), vol. 3, p. 72, 1084
3- Ibid

– ‘Abd Allah b. Abi al-Hudhayl:

We were sitting with ‘Amr b. al-‘As, discussing al-fiqh. Then, a man from Bakr, said, “If Quraysh do not desist, Allah will place this affair in another group among Arabs.” So, ‘Amr b. al-‘As replied, “You lied! I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying: ‘The khilafah is in Quraysh till the establishment of the Hour.’”(1)

And ‘Allamah al-Albani says:

إسناده جید

Its chain is good.(2)

Ibn Abi ‘Asim further documents:

حدثنا أبو بکر، ثنا عفان، ثنا سکین بن عبد العزیز، عن أبی المنهال سیار بن سلامه قال: دخلت مع أبی علی أبی برزه وأنا غلام فقال: قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم: الأئمه من قریش.

Abu Bakr – ‘Affan – Sikkin b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz – Abu al-Minhal Sayyar b. Salamah:

I went with my father to Abu Barzah while I was a still boy, and he (Abu Barzah) said: “The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: ‘The Imams are from Quraysh.’”(3)

Al-Albani comments:

حدیث صحیح إسناده حسن

It is a sahih hadith. Its chain is hasan.(4)

We know from all these authentic ahadith that each true khalifah is a royal king, a wali, and an Imam. By extension, we also see that the khilafah is kingdom, wilayah and Imamah. Notably, since the khilafah is kingdom, it necessarily follows that it is both hereditary and dynastic in nature.

14) Hadith Al-Thaqalayn: Clarifying The Confusions Of Ibn Taymiyyah (Part 2)

Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 H) says:

وفی لفظ لا یزال الإسلام عزیزا إلی أثنی عشر خلیفه کلهم من قریش وهکذا کان فکان الخلفاء أبو بکر وعمر وعثمان وعلی ثم تولی

p: 109


1- Abu Bakr b. Abi ‘Asim, Ahmad b. ‘Amr b. al-Dhahhak b. Mukhlid al-Shaybani, Kitab al-Sunnah (al-Maktab al-Islami; 1st edition, 1400 H) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 2, p. 527, 1109
2- Ibid
3- Ibid, vol. 2, p. 532, 1125
4- Ibid

من اجتمع الناس علیه وصار له عز ومنعه معاویه وابنه یزید ثم عبد الملک وأولاده الأربعه وبینهم عمر بن عبد العزیز

And in a text “Islam will never cease to be strong till twelve khalifahs, all of them from Quraysh”, and this was exactly how it was, for the khalifahs were Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali and then those upon whom the people agreed, who were strong and invincible, ruled: Mu’awiyah, his son Yazid, ‘Abd al-Malik, and his four children, and ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz was one of them.(1)

Here, our Shaykh tells us that:

• Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, Mu’awiyah, Yazid, ‘Abd al-Malik and others were Imams from the offspring of Ibrahim.

• They all held the Covenant of Allah, which was Imamah, and guided humanity with His Command.

• None of them was a wrongdoer, to himself or to others.

• None of them was a wrongdoer who violated any of the laws of Allah, before and during his Imamah.

• All of them were directly appointed by Allah, as He appointed their father, Ibrahim and all the Imams before them.

• All of them were kings who ruled by kingdom, and held the kingdom over the Ummah.

• If we take Hadith al-Thaqalayn and Hadith al-Khalifatayn into consideration, then the submissions of Ibn Taymiyyah also imply that:

• Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, Mu’awiyah, Yazid, ‘Abd al-Malik and the others were all from the offspring of Prophet Muhammad.

• They were his offspring, his Ahl al-Bayt, who never contradicted or violated the Qur’an for even a single second.

Of course,

p: 110


1- Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad b. ‘Abd al-Halim b. Taymiyyah al-Harrani, Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah (Muasassat Qurtubah; 1st edition, 1406 H) [annotator: Dr. Muhammad Rashad Salim], vol. 8, p. 238

Abu Bakr and the other Sunni khalifahs were:

• not from the offspring of Muhammad or his Ahl al-Bayt;

• not appointed by Allah;

• not holders of the Covenant or Command of Allah;

• wrongdoers who wronged themselves and others by disobeying Allah and committing sins on several occasions;

• not kings who ruled by kingdom, except for Mu’awiyah and the subsequent Umayyads (and Abbasids); and

• not holders of kingdom over the Ummah, except for Mu’awiyah and the subsequent Umayyads (and Abbasids).

The bottom-line is: it is impossible to fit Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman, especially, into the descriptions of the true khalifahs mentioned in the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah. Undoubtedly, they were rulers.

But, certainly, they were neither khalifahs nor Imams. The difference between political or military rule and khilafah is highlighted in the story of Harun, ‘alaihi al-salam. His blessed brother appointed him as his khalifah over his Ummah during the former’s absence from them:

وقال موسی لأخیه هارون اخلفنی فی قومی

Musa said to his brother, Harun: “Be my khalifah over my people.”(1)

Meanwhile, al-Samiri overthrew Harun and installed himself, with the help of the masses, as the ruler of Israel:

قال فإنا قد فتنا قومک من بعدک وأضلهم السامری

He (Allah) said: “Verily! We have tried your people in your absence, and al-Samiri has led them astray.”(2)

We also read:

قال ابن أم إن القوم استضعفونی وکادوا یقتلوننی

He (Harun) said, “O son of my mother! Indeed the people judged me weak, and were about to murder me.”(3)

Yet, Harun remained the true khalifah of Israel, even though al-Samiri

p: 111


1- Qur’an 7:142
2- Qur’an 20:85
3- Qur’an 7:150

had seized power. This is how things work in Islam. What confers legitimacy is not power, but divine appointment. The Prophet appointed the Book of Allah and his offspring as his joint khalifahs till the Day of al-Qiyamah.

Imagine if all Muslims the world over rejected the authority of the Qur’an, would that cancel out its khilafah? Of course, its khilafah continues over the Ummah, whether they recognize it or not! It is the same with the Ahl al-Bayt. They are the joint khalifahs over humanity along with the Kitab – and remain so till the Hour – whether anyone obeys them or none does:

وانهما لن یفترقا حتی یردا علی الحوض

Verily, both shall NEVER separate from each other until they meet me at the Lake-Fount.

Another error of our dear Shaykh is his confusion of these two sentences:

• Islam is strong.

• The Ummah is strong.

This is why he declares:

وهذا تصدیق ما أخبر به النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم حیث قال لا یزال هذا الدین عزیزا ما تولی اثنا عشر خلیفه کلهم من قریش وهؤلاء الاثنا عشر خلیفه هم المذکورون فی التوراه حیث قال فی بشارته بإسماعیل وسیلد اثنی عشر عظیما

ومن طن أن هؤلاء الاثنی عشر هم الذین تعتقد الرافضه إمامتهم فهو فی غایه الجهل فإن هؤلاء لیس فیهم من کان له سیف إلا علی بن أبی طالب

This is a confirmation of what the Prophet, peace be upon him, had prophesied when he said: “This religion will never cease to be strong as long as twelve khalifahs rule, all of them

p: 112

from Quraysh”. These twelve khalifahs are those mentioned in al-Tawrah, when He (Allah) said in His glad tiding concerning Isma’il: “He will give birth to twelve great people”. Whoever these that these twelve are those who are accepted as Imams by the Rafidhah is in the worst level of ignorance, for there was none among them who held military authority except ‘Ali b. Abi Talib.(1)

Ibn Taymiyyah apparently equates the might of the Ummah with that of its religion. Meanwhile, it is perfectly possible to have a strong Islam but a weak Ummah. The strength of the Ummah is obviously in its unity and military prowess. However, that of the religion lies only in its ability to “stand” on the surface of the earth. This has been explicitly stated in another hadith:

لا یزال الدین قائما حتی تقوم الساعه أو یکون علیکم اثنا عشر خلیفه کلهم من قریش

The religion will never cease to STAND until the establishment of the Hour or as long as there are twelve khalifahs over you, all of them from Quraysh.(2)

There are always forcing struggling to push Islam to the ground. However, it will never fall. It shall remain standing on the earth till al-Qiyamah. This is the meaning of its strength. The inability of its enemies to terminate it is its invincibility. This is also indicated in yet another hadith documented by Imam Ahmad (d. 241 H):

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا حماد بن أسامه ثنا مجالد عن عامر عن جابر بن سمره السوائی قال سمعت رسول

p: 113


1- Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad b. ‘Abd al-Halim b. Taymiyyah al-Harrani, Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah (Muasassat Qurtubah; 1st edition, 1406 H) [annotator: Dr. Muhammad Rashad Salim], vol. 8, pp. 240-241
2- Ibid, vol. 3, p. 1453, 1822 (10)

الله صلی الله علیه و سلم یقول فی حجه الوداع إن هذا الدین لن یزال ظاهرا علی من ناوأه لا یضره مخالف ولا مفارق حتی یمضی من أمتی اثنا عشر خلیفه قال ثم تکلم بشیء لم أفهمه فقلت لأبی ما قال قال کلهم من قریش

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Hammad b. Usamah – Mujalid – ‘Amir – Jabir b. Samurah al-Suwai:

I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying during the Farewell Hajj: “Verily, this religion will never cease to be victorious over whoever opposes it - no opponent or defector will be able to harm it – as long as twelve khalifahs pass from my Ummah.” Then, he said something which I did not understand. So, I said to my father, “What did he say?” He replied, “All of them will be from Quraysh.”(1)

Al-Arnaut says:

حدیث صحیح

It is a sahih hadith(2)

All praise be to Allah: our religion has continued to stand upon its two feet since the departure of our Prophet, despite the persistent aggression and subversion of its hardened foes to bring it down. Interestingly, as long as Islam breathes on our planet, there is one of the twelve khalifahs from the offspring of Muhammad, placed over humanity by Allah as their master and guide.

Contrary to the hallucinations of Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah, the first of the true royal khalifahs of this Ummah was none other than Imam ‘Ali b. Abi Talib. Imam Ibn Abi ‘Asim (d. 287 H) records:

ثنا محمد

p: 114


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 5, p. 87, 20833
2- Ibid

بن المثنی، حدثنا یحی بن حماد، عن أبی عوانه، عن یحیی بن سلیم أبی بلج عن عمرو بن میمون، عن ابن عباس قال: قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم لعلی: أنت منی بمنزله هارون من موسی إلا أنک لست نبیا وأنت خلیفتی فی کل مؤمن من بعدی.

Muhammad b. al-Muthanna – Yahya b. Hammad – Abu ‘Awanah – Yahya b. Sulaym Abu Balj – ‘Amr b. Maymun – Ibn ‘Abbas: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to ‘Ali: “You are to me of the status of Harun to Musa, with the exception that you are not a prophet. And you are my khalifah over every believer after me.”(1)

Dr. al-Jawabirah says:

اسناده حسن.

Its chain is hasan.(2)

And ‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) backs him:

إسناده حسن

Its chain is hasan.(3)

A quick question that comes to mind here is: was ‘Ali from the offspring of Muhammad?

The answer is simple: there are instances where a person or thing is included within a foreign category for a specific purpose. For instance, Iblis was counted among the angels by Allah in His Order to them to prostrate to Prophet Adam, ‘alaihi al-salam(4). However, he was only a jinn(5). So, for the purpose of that Divine Command, Iblis was regarded as an angel, even though he was not.

A similar situation existed between Prophet Ibrahim, ‘alaihi al-salam, and Prophet Lut, ‘alaihi al-salam. Allah says:

وتلک حجتنا آتیناها إبراهیم علی قومه نرفع درجات من نشاء إن ربک حکیم علیم وهبنا له إسحاق ویعقوب کلا هدینا ونوحا هدینا من قبل

p: 115


1- Abu Bakr b. Abi ‘Asim, Ahmad b. ‘Amr b. al-Dhahhak b. Mukhlid al-Shaybani, Kitab al-Sunnah (Dar al-Sami’i li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’) [annotator: Dr. Basim b. Faysal al-Jawabirah], vol. 1, pp. 799-800, 1222
2- Ibid
3- Abu Bakr b. Abi ‘Asim, Ahmad b. ‘Amr b. al-Dhahhak b. Mukhlid al-Shaybani, Kitab al-Sunnah (al-Maktab al-Islami; 1st edition, 1400 H) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 2, p. 565, 1188
4- See Qur’an 2:34, 7:11, 17:61, 18:50, 20:116, 38:71-74,
5- See Qur’an 18:50

ومن ذریته داوود وسلیمان وأیوب ویوسف وموسی وهارون وکذلک نجزی المحسنین وزکریا ویحیی وعیسی وإلیاس کل من الصالحین وإسماعیل والیسع ویونس ولوطا وکلا فضلنا علی العالمین

And that was Our Hujjah which We gave Ibrahim against his people. We raise whom We will in ranks. Certainly your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing. And We bestowed upon him Ishaq and Ya’qub, each of them We guided – and We guided Nuh before (him) – and among his offspring were Dawud, Sulayman, Ayub, Yusuf, Musa, and Harun – thus do We reward the good-doers – and Zakariyyah, Yahya, ‘Isa and Ilyas – each one of them was of the righteous – and Isma’il, al-Yasa’, Yunus and Lut; and each one of them We made superior above the worlds.(1)

Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir (d. 774 H) explains:

فالضمیر فی قوله ومن ذریته عائد علی إبراهیم علی المشهور. ولوط وإن کان ابن أخیه إلا أنه دخل فی الذریه تغلیبا. وهذا هو الحامل للقائل الآخر إن الضمیر علی نوح کما قدمنا فی قصته والله أعلم.

The pronoun in his statement “and among his offspring” refers to Ibrahim according to the popular opinion. As for Lut, even though he was his nephew, he was part of the offspring as a minority entry. This is the problem of those who hold the second opinion that the pronoun refers to Nuh, as we have explained in his story. And Allah knows best.(2)

Imam al-Qurtubi (d. 671 H) says a similar thing:

}ومن ذریته {أی ذریه إبراهیم .وقیل: من ذریه نوح، قاله الفراء وأختاره الطبری وغیر واحد

p: 116


1- Qur’an 6:83-86
2- Abu al-Fida Isma’il b. Kathir al-Dimashqi, al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah (Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi; 1st edition, 1408 H) [annotator: ‘Ali Shiri], vol. 1, p. 192

من المفسرین کالقشیری وابن عطیه وغیرهما .والأول قاله الزجاج، واعترض بأنه عد من هذه الذریه یونس ولوط وما کانا من ذریه إبراهیم .وکان لوط ابن أخیه .وقیل :ابن أخته .وقال ابن عباس :هؤلاء الأنبیاء جمیعا مضافون إلی ذریه إبراهیم، وإن کان فیهم من لم تلحقه ولاده من جهته من جهه أب ولا أم، لأن لوطا ابن أخی إبراهیم .والعرب تجعل العم أبا کما أخبر} الله عن ولد یعقوب أنهم قالوا نعبد إلهک وإله آبائک إبراهیم وإسماعیل وإسحاق {وإسماعیل عم یعقوب. وعد عیسی من ذریه إبراهیم وإنما هو ابن البنت. فأولاد فاطمه رضی الله عنها ذریه النبی صلی الله علیه وسلم.

{And among his offspring}, that is the offspring of Ibrahim. It is also said: among the offspring of Nuh – this opinion belonged to al-Fara and was adopted by al-Tabari and many of the mufassiroon like al-Qushayri, Ibn ‘Atiyyah and others. Al-Zajjaj held the first opinion, and he is opposed with the statement that part of those counted among the offspring were Yunus and Lut, and they both were not from the offspring of Ibrahim. Lut was his nephew. And Ibn ‘Abbas said: “All of these prophets are counted among the offspring of Ibrahim, even though there are among them who were not his descendants, for Lut was the nephew of Ibrahim.”

The Arabs consider the uncle to be a father too, as Allah informs concerning the children of Ya’qub, when they said (to Ya’qub), “We shall worship your God, the God of your fathers – Ibrahim, Isma’il, and Ishaq –

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One God, and to Him we submit.” [2:133] Isma’il was the uncle of Ya’qub. Also, ‘Isa is counted among the offspring of Ibrahim, while he was only the son of the daughter. Therefore, the offspring of Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, are offspring of the Prophet, peace be upon him.(1)

So, Lut was counted among the offspring of Ibrahim for some specific purposes, most likely al-nubuwwah. In this same manner, this hadith apparently includes ‘Ali within the offspring of Muhammad, for the specific purposes of khilafah and Imamah:

أنت خلیفتی فی کل مؤمن من بعدی

You are my khalifah over every believer after me.

15) The Sahabah And The Ahl Al-Bayt: Remembering The Tragic Thursday

After making the public declarations at ‘Arafat and Ghadir, and possibly at other places too, the Messenger, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, decided to put everything down in black and white during the last few days of his blessed lifetime. Imam al-Bukhari (d. 256 H) records how his attempt failed:

حدثنا قبیصه حدثنا ابن عیینه عن سلیمان الأحول عن سعید ابن جبیر عن ابن عباس رضی الله عنهما أنه قال یوم الخمیس وما یوم الخمیس ثم بکی حتی خضب دمعه الحصباء فقال :اشتد برسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم وجعه یوم الخمیس فقال ائتونی بکتاب أکتب لکم کتابا لن تضلوا بعده أبدا . فتنازعوا ولا ینبغی عند نبی تنازع فقالوا هجر رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم قال دعونی فالذی أنا فیه خیر مما تدعوننی إلیه . وأوصی عند موته بثلاث :أخرجوا المشرکین من جزیره العرب وأجیزوا الوفد بنحو ما کنت أجیزهم .ونسیت الثالثه

Qubaysah – Ibn

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1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Ansari al-Qurtubi, al-Jami’ li Ahkam al-Qur’an (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi; 1405 H), vol. 7, p. 31

‘Uyaynah – Sulayman al-Ahwal – Sa’id b. Jubayr – Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both:

“Thursday! And what a Thursday it was!” Then, he (Ibn ‘Abbas) wept till the stones on the ground were soaked with his tears. Then, he said, “The illness of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, became severe on Thursday, and he said, ‘Bring me a sheet of paper so that I may write a document for you after which you will never go astray’. They differed, and it is not proper to differ in front of a prophet. So, they said, ‘The Messenger of Allah is raving mad.’ He replied, ‘Leave me, as I am in a better state than what you are calling me towards.’ Then, he ordered them, when he was about to die, to do three things: ‘Expel the idolaters from the Arabian Peninsula and show respect to all foreign delegates by giving them gifts as I used to do.’ And I forgot the third.”(1)

Dr. al-Bagha defines the word used by the Sahabah to describe their Prophet:

)هجر (أی یتکلم بما لا یعرف لشده وجعه

(hajara), meaning: he is saying unintelligible things due to the severity of his illness.(2)

Imam Muslim (d. 261 H) also documents:

حدثنا إسحاق بن إبراهیم أخبرنا وکیع عن مالک بن مغول عن طلحه بن مصرف عن سعید بن جبیر عن ابن عباس أنه قال یوم الخمیس وما یوم الخمیس ثم جعل تسیل دموعه حتی رأیت علی خدیه کأنها نظام اللؤلؤ قال قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه

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1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 3, p. 1111, 2888
2- Ibid

و سلم ائتونی بالکتف والدواه أو اللوح والدواه أکتب لکم کتابا لن تضلوا بعده أبدا فقالوا إن رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم یهجر

Ishaq b. Ibrahim – Waki’ – Malik b. Maghwal – Talhah b. Musarrif – Sa’id b. Jubayr – Ibn ‘Abbas:

“Thursday! What a Thursday it was!” Then, tears began to flow until I saw them on his cheeks as if they were the strings of pearls. “The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, ‘Bring me a shoulder-blade and an inkpot or a tablet and an inkpot, so that I may write for you a document after which you will never go astray’. They said: ‘The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is raving mad.’”(1)

Imam Ahmad (d. 241 H) too has this riwayah:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا سفیان عن سلیمان بن أبی مسلم خال بن أبی نجیح سمع سعید بن جبیر یقول قال بن عباس یوم الخمیس وما یوم الخمیس ثم بکی حتی بل دمعه وقال مره دموعه الحصی قلنا یا أبا العباس وما یوم الخمیس قال اشتد برسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم وجعه فقال ائتونی اکتب لکم کتابا لا تضلوا بعده أبدا فتنازعوا ولا ینبغی عند نبی تنازع فقالوا ما شأنه اهجر قال سفیان یعنی هذی

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Sufyan – Isma’il b. Abi Muslim, uncle of Ibn Abi Najih – Sa’id b. Jubayr – Ibn ‘Abbas:

“Thursday! What a Thursday it was!” Then, he wept until his tears moistened the pebbles. We said, “O

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1- Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 3, p. 1257, 1637 (21)

father of al-‘Abbas! What was the Thursday?” He replied, “The illness of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, became severe. So, he said, ‘Come to me so that I may write for you a document after which you will never go astray’. But, they disagreed, and it is not proper to disagree in front of a prophet. Then they said, ‘What is his problem? He is raving mad.’” Sufyan (a sub-narrator) said (concerning the word used by the Sahabah): “It means ‘RAVING MADNESS’”.(1)

Al-Arnaut says:

إسناده صحیح علی شرط الشیخین

Its chain is sahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.(2)

Imam al-Bukhari is back again:

حدثنا محمد حدثنا ابن عیینه عن سلیمان الأحول سمع سعید ابن جبیر سمع ابن عباس رضی الله عنهما یقول : یوم الخمیس وما یوم الخمیس ثم بکی حتی بل دمعه الحصی قلت یا أبا عباس ما یوم الخمیس؟ قال اشتد برسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم وجعه فقال ائتونی بکتف أکتب لکم کتابا لا تضلوا بعده أبدا .فتنازعوا ولا ینبغی عند نبی تنازع فقالوا ما له أهجر استفهموه فقال ذرونی فالذی أنا فیه خیر مما تدعوننی إلیه .فأمرهم بثلاث قال أخرجوا المشرکین من جزیره العرب وأجیزوا الوفد بنحو ما کنت أجیزهم .والثالثه خیر إما أن سکتن عنها وإما أن قالها فنسیتها .قال سفیان هذا من قول سلیمان

Muhammad – Ibn ‘Uyaynah – Sulayman al-Ahwal – Ibn Jubayr – Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both:

“Thursday! What a Thursday it was!” Then, he wept until his tears moistened the pebbles. So I said, “O father of

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1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 1, p. 222, 1935
2- Ibid

‘Abbas! What was the Thursday?” He replied, “The illness of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, became severe. So, he said, ‘Bring to me so a shoulder-blade that I may write for you a document after which you will never go astray’. But, they disagreed, and it is not proper to disagree in front of a prophet. Then they said, ‘What is wrong with him? He is raving mad. Ask him questions to confirm’. He said, ‘Leave me, for that in which I am is better than that towards which you are calling me.’ Then, he commanded them to do three things: Expel the idolaters from the Arabian Peninsula, and show respect to all foreign delegates as I used to do.’” The third (instruction) was the best. He either kept quiet about it or he said it but I forgot it. Sufyan said: “This was from the statement of Sulayman.”(1)

It was such a disastrous day – so much that Ibn ‘Abbas, radhiyallahu ‘anhu, wept abnormally when he remembered it. It was the day the Sahabah of Muhammad first openly accused him of raving mad, of saying unintelligible things due to severe illness, in his holy presence! We often see some Sunnis desperately trying to downplay the shock of what the Sahabah said by mistranslating or misinterpreting the key words – hajara (هجر) and ahajara (أهجر) [and their nominal form is al-hujr (الهجر)] - in the hadith as simply “to become unconscious” or “to faint”. However, one of their

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1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 3, p. 1155, 2997

earliest classical grand Imams – Sufyan b. ‘Uyaynah (d. 198 H) – had longed closed the door in their faces. He was explicit that the Sahabah literally intended that the Prophet of Allah was “raving mad”, that the words they used meant exactly that. This matter is equally confirmed by other classical ‘ulama of the Ahl al-Sunnah. Imam al-Shami (d. 942 H), for instance, states:

الهجر :بالضم :الهذیان وقول الباطل ویطلق علی الکلام الفاحش.

Al-Hujr: is raving madness and irrational talk, and it is (also) used to refer to obscene, immoral talk.(1)

The ace Sunni linguist, Ibn Manzur (d. 711 H), says as well:

والهجر :الهذیان.

Al-Hujr: is raving madness.(2)

Imam Ibn Salam (d. 224), an ancient, leading Sunni hadith expert, has this submission too:

وأما الهجر فی الکلام فإنه الهذیان

As for al-hujr in statements, it is raving madness.(3)

Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani (d. 852 H) does not say anything different either:

والهجر بالضم ثم السکون الهذیان

Al-Hujr is raving madness.(4)

At this point, we want to focus on the second term used by the Sahabah: ahajara (أهجر). As pointed out by Sufyan b. ‘Uyaynah, it – along with hajara (هجر) – means “to rave mad”. However, there is a second definition for it which must be taken into account. Imam Ibn Salam comes in again:

قال الکسائی وبعضه عن الأصمعی وغیرهما: قال: الهجر الإفحاش فی المنطق والخنا ونحوه، یقال منه :أهجر الرجل یهجر إهجارا

Al-Kisai – and part of it is from al-Asma’i and others: al-hujr is to say obscene things and to use obscene language. It is said from it: the

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1- Muhammad b. Yusuf al-Salihi al-Shami, Subul al-Huda al-Rashad fi Sirah Khayr al-‘Ibad (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1414 H) [annotators: ‘Adil Ahmad ‘Abd al-Mawjud and ‘Ali Muhammad Ma’ud], vol. 11, p. 105
2- Abu al-Fadhl Jamal al-Din Muhammad b. Mukram b. Manzur al-Afriqi al-Misri, Lisan al-‘Arab (Beirut: Dar Sadir; 1st edition), vol. 5, p. 250
3- Abu ‘Ubayd al-Qasim b. Salam al-Harwi, Gharib al-Hadith (Haydarabad: Majlis Dairah al-Ma’arif al-‘Uthmaniyyah; 1st edition, 1384 H), vol. 2, p. 64
4- Shihab al-Din Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Fath al-Bari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari (Beirut: Dar al-Ma’rifah li al-Taba’ah wa al-Nashr; 2nd edition), vol. 8, p. 101

man ahajara, yahjur, ihjaran.(1)

So, to say that someone is saying obscene things or using obscene language, the verb to use is either ahajara or yahjur. Interestingly, both terms were among those used by the Sahabah to describe their Prophet:

فقالوا إن رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم یهجر

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is raving mad.

And:

فقالوا ما له أهجر

Then they said, ‘What is wrong with him? He is raving mad.

We have translated both words as “raving mad” – which is one of their definitions anyway, influenced heavily by the commentary of Ibn ‘Uyaynah. But then, the translations could also be these:

فقالوا إن رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم یهجر

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is saying obscene things.

And:

فقالوا ما له أهجر

Then they said, ‘What is wrong with him? He is saying obscene things.

Qadi ‘Iyad (d. 544 H), for instance, has given both meanings to ahajara – one of the words used by the Sahabah to qualify the Rasul. He even specifically refers to the hadith itself:

یقال اهجر الرجل إذا قال الفحش وقوله اهجر رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم کذا هو الصحیح بفتح الهاء أی هذی والهجر الهذیان

It is said “the man ahajara” when he says obscene things. His statement “the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, ahajara” – which is the correct form with fathah of the al-ha (i.e. pronounced as ahajara) - means raving madness; and al-hujr means raving madness.(2)

Abu ‘Ubayd al-Bakri does the same too:

الهجر :القبیح من الکلام، یقال] منه :[أهجر،

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1- Abu ‘Ubayd al-Qasim b. Salam al-Harwi, Gharib al-Hadith (Haydarabad: Majlis Dairah al-Ma’arif al-‘Uthmaniyyah; 1st edition, 1384 H), vol. 2, p. 63
2- Al-Qadi Abu al-Fadhl ‘Iyad b. Musa b. ‘Iyad al-Yahsubi al-Sibti al-Maliki, Mashariq al-Anwar ‘ala Sihah al-Athar (al-Maktabah al-‘Atiqah and Dar al-Turath), vol. 2, p. 529

إذا أفحش وقال ما یقبح، ویقال هجر فی منامه إذا تکلم بما لا یعقل، ویقال هجر المریض وأهجر إذا هذی .وقال ابن عباس: اشتد برسول الله علیه الصلاه والسلام وجعه فقال: ایتونی بکتاب أکتب لکم لا تضلوا بعدی فقالوا: ما شأنه أهجر

Al-Hujr is obscenity in statements. It is said from it: ahajara when he says obscene things. It is also said that he hajara in his sleep if he says irrational things. It is said that an ill person hajara or ahjara when he raves mad; and Ibn ‘Abbas said, “The ILLNESS of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, became severe, and he said, ‘Bring to me a paper so that I may write for you what will prevent you from going astray after me.’ But they said: ‘What is wrong with him? He hajara.’”(1)

In any case, the implication is still the same, either way. The Sahabah would not have accused their Prophet of saying obscene things unless they considered him – rightly or wrongly – to be raving mad, especially during his illness.

Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (d. 310 H) also has this input:

من قولهم :أهجر الرجل: إذا أفحش فی القول.

They say “the man ahajara” when he makes obscene statements.(2)

Ibn Faris (d. 395 H), a well-known classical linguist, caps it:

الهجر :الهذیان .یقال هجر الرجل. والهجر: الإفحاش فی المنطق یقال. أهجر الرجل فی منطقه.

Al-Hujr is raving madness. It is said that the man hajara (i.e. to mean that he is suffering from al-hujr). Al-Hujr also means obscenity in language.

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1- Abu ‘Ubayd al-Bakri, Fasl al-Maqal Sharh Kitab al-Amthal (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 1st edition, 1971 CE) [annotator: Ihsan ‘Abbas], vol. 1, p. 28
2- Abu Ja’far Muhammad b. Jarir b. Yazid b. Kathir b. Ghalib al-Amuli al-Tabari, Jami al-Bayan fi Tawil al-Qur’an (Dar al-Fikr; 1415 H) [annotator: Sidqi Jamil al-‘Attar], vol. 18, p. 54

It is said that the man ahajara in his language (i.e. to mean that he uses obscene language).(1)

This clarification by Ibn Faris – and, of course, by others too - would establish that the Sahabah accused the Messenger of both types of al-hujr:

فقالوا هجر رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم

So, they said, ‘The Messenger of Allah is raving mad (hajara).’

And:

فقالوا إن رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم یهجر

They said: ‘The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is raving mad (yahjur).’”(2)

And:

فقالوا ما له أهجر

Then they said, ‘What is wrong with him? He is raving mad (ahajara).’

And finally:

فقالوا ما له أهجر

Then they said, ‘What is wrong with him? He is saying obscene things (ahajara).’

But, how did the situation get to that level?! How did things become so rotten? Why did those Sahabah flare up so badly after hearing the harmless request of the Prophet? Imam al-Bukhari records a report which sheds some light:

حدثنا إبراهیم بن موسی أخبرنا هشام عن معمر عن الزهری عن عبید الله بن عبد الله عن ابن عباس قال :لما حضر النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم قال وفی البیت رجال فیهم عمر بن الخطاب قال هلم أکتب لکم کتابا لن تضلوا بعده .قال عمر إن النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم غلبه الوجع وعندکم القرآن .فحسبنا کتاب الله .واختلف أهل البیت اختصموا فمنهم من یقول قربوا یکتب لکم رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم کتابا لن تضلوا بعده ومنهم من یقول ما قال عمر فلما أکثروا اللغط والاختلاف عند النبی صلی الله علیه

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1- Abu al-Husayn Ahmad b. Faris b. Zakariyyah, Mu’jam Maqayis al-Lughah (Qum: Maktab al-A’lam al-Islami; 1404 H) [annotator: ‘Abd al-Salam Muhammad Harun], vol. 6, p. 35
2- Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 3, p. 1257, 1637 (21)

و سلم قال قوموا عنی قال عبید الله فکان ابن عباس یقول إن الرزیه کل الرزیه ما حال بین رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم وبین أن یکتب لهم ذلک الکتاب من اختلافهم ولغطهم

Ibrahim b. Musa – Hisham – Ma’mar – al-Zuhri – ‘Ubayd Allah b. ‘Abd Allah – Ibn ‘Abbas:

When the time of the death of the Prophet, peace be upon him, approached, and there were some men in the room, and among them was ‘Umar b. al-Khattab. He (the Prophet) said, “Come near. Let me write for you a document after which you will never go astray.” ‘Umar said, “Verily, the illness has now fully possessed the Prophet, peace be upon him. And you have the Qur’an. So, the Book of Allah is sufficient for us.”

The people in the room disputed. Among them were those who said, “Come near so that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, may write for you a document after which you will never go astray.” And among them were those who were repeating what ‘Umar said. When their noise and dispute became very rowdy in the presence of the Prophet, peace be upon him, he said, “Stand up and leave me.”

Narrated ‘Ubayd Allah: Ibn ‘Abbas used to say: “It was a great disaster that their dispute and noise prevented the Messsenger of Allah, peace be upon him, from writing that document for them.”(1)

So, it was all started by ‘Umar. He described the Messenger of Allah as having been fully

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1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 6, p. 2680, 6932

possessed by his illness. In other words, it was the illness that now owned, controlled and dictated what he thought, heard, saw, said or did! He himself was no longer in charge of anything of himself – his brain, his senses, his body. It was this heavy statement that caused the uproar in the room; and those who accused the Prophet of raving madness were also only “repeating what ‘Umar said”. Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 H) explains what ‘Umar’s “dilemma” was in that incident:

وأما عمر فاشتبه علیه هل کان قول النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم من شده المرض أو کان من أقواله المعروفه والمرض جائز علی الأنبیاء ولهذا قال ماله أهجر فشک فی ذلک ولم یجزم بأنه هجر والشک جائز علی عمر فإنه لا معصوم إلا النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم لا سیما وقد شک بشبهه فإن النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم کان مریضا فلم یدر أکلامه کان من وهج المرض کما یعرض للمریض أو کان من کلامه المعروف الذی یجب قبوله

As for ‘Umar, it was not clear to him whether the statement of the Prophet, peace be upon him, was from the severity of the illness or from his intelligent statements. Illness was possible for prophets too. This was why he (‘Umar) said, “What is wrong with him? He is raving mad (or he is saying obscene things)”. So, he doubted in that, and did not explicitly state that he was raving mad. Of course, it was permissible for ‘Umar to doubt - since none

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is infallible except the Prophet, peace be upon him - especially as he doubted due to confusion. This was because the Prophet, peace be upon him, was ill. So, he (‘Umar) did not know whether his statement was from the sparkle of the illness as it happens to ill people or from his intelligent statements which must be accepted.(1)

Well, ignoring the blatant incoherence of the submissions, there are nonetheless pieces of misinformation in them. First and foremost, ‘Umar expressed no doubt in his statement. He was direct, explicit and firm:

قال عمر إن النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم غلبه الوجع وعندکم القرآن .فحسبنا کتاب الله

‘Umar said, “Verily, the illness has fully possessed the Prophet, peace be upon him. And you have the Qur’an. So, the Book of Allah is sufficient for us.”

Secondly, this is what our Shaykh has attributed to ‘Umar:

ولهذا قال ماله أهجر فشک فی ذلک ولم یجزم بأنه هجر

This was why he said, “What is wrong with him? He is raving mad (or he is saying obscene things).” So, he doubted in that, and did not explicitly state that he was raving mad.

However, it was not ‘Umar who uttered those words:

وقالوا ما شأنه؟ أهجر استفهموه

Then THEY said, ‘What is wrong with him? He is raving mad. Ask him questions to confirm’.

Other people did. The words of ‘Umar himself are undisputed. He proclaimed that the Messenger of Allah had totally lost control of himself – including his brain and senses – to his illness. He did not express doubt

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1- Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad b. ‘Abd al-Halim b. Taymiyyah al-Harrani, Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah (Muasassat Qurtubah; 1st edition, 1406 H) [annotator: Dr. Muhammad Rashad Salim], vol. 6, p. 24

in the matter, but was instead firm on it. In fact, the fact that ‘Umar openly and boldly countermanded the order of the Prophet is enough evidence that he (‘Umar) believed - or at least pretended to have believed - that the Messenger was indeed raving mad. After all, this is what our Shaykh himself says:

فلم یدر أکلامه کان من وهج المرض کما یعرض للمریض أو کان من کلامه المعروف الذی یجب قبوله

So, he (‘Umar) did not know whether his statement was from the sparkle of the illness as it happens to sick people or from his intelligent statements which must be accepted.

If he had accepted that the Prophet was making intelligent statements, he would have obeyed. But, he opposed the command. This means that he thought – or pretended to have thought – that the Messenger of his Lord was talking irrationally, or saying obscene things, due to illness.

So, we ask: what exactly in the instruction of the Prophet to his Sahabah sounded “irrational” to warrant the attack on his mental health by them? In reality, there was no such thing. His statement was perfectly sensible, reasonable and intelligent:

ائتونی بکتاب أکتب لکم کتابا لن تضلوا بعده أبدا

Bring me a sheet of paper so that I may write a document for you after which you will never go astray.

At this point, this author recalls an incident which took place in early 2007, some months after his conversion to Shi’ism. He was investigating the statements of ‘Umar and his group,

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which called into question the mental health of the Messenger of Allah. This author asked a Sufi brother his opinion on what they did. “Of course,” he replied, “they had a point! The Prophet was unlettered. He was Ummi, as the Qur’an has called him. Yet, he was asking for pen and paper to write!” This author was very shocked. “You mean”, he asked the Sufi, “the Prophet was indeed raving mad as they claimed?!” He strangely, however, refused to answer that question. It was obvious nonetheless. If he had believed that the Messenger of Allah was mentally healthy, he would have stated so in reply. By keeping quiet, he silently hinted a “yes” to this author’s question.

There are millions of Muslims, especially from the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah, who strongly believe that the Prophet was unlettered throughout his lifetime. They mostly base their position on the fact that he has been called “the Ummi Prophet” in the Book of Allah, and on this verse:

وما کنت تتلو من قبله من کتاب ولا تخطه بیمینک إذا لارتاب المبطلون

Neither did you (O Muhammad) read any book before it, nor did you write any book with your right hand. In that case, indeed, the followers of falsehood might have doubted.(1)

Well, the word ummi has several meanings. An unlettered person is an ummi in truth. But, every person of Makkan origin is also an ummi. Another name for Makkah is Umm al-Qura(2). So, linguistically, anyone from the blessed city may either be called a

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1- Qur’an 29:48
2- See Qur’an 6:92

Makkan or an Ummi. As such, there is no conclusive evidence from that term for the alleged illiteracy of the Messenger of Allah. It could go either way. Besides, the above ayah seems to undermine – rather than strengthen - the Sunni claim: Muhammad never wrote or read any book before the Qur’an. This suggests that he actually wrote and read after the start of its descent. In fact, this is explicitly confirmed in the Book itself:

رسول من الله یتلو صحفا مطهره فیها کتب قیمه

A Messenger from Allah, reading purified pages. In them are correct and straight laws.(1)

An unlettered fellow never “reads” any pages, does he?

Another clear proof of the literacy of the Prophet (since the start of the Qur’an) is this report of al-Bukhari of what happened at al-Hudaybiyyah, four years before he was accused of raving madness by his Sahabah:

حدثنا عبید الله بن موسی عن إسرائیل عن أبی إسحاق عن البراء رضی الله عنه قال :اعتمر النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم فی ذی القعده فأبی أهل مکه أن یدعوه یدخل مکه حتی قاضاهم علی أن یقیم بها ثلاثه أیام فلما کتبوا الکتاب کتبوا هذا ما قاضی علیه محمد رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم فقالوا لا نقر بها فلو نعلم أنک رسول الله ما منعاک لکن أنت محمد بن عبد الله قال أنا رسول الله وأنا محمد بن عبد الله .ثم قال لعلی امح رسول الله .قال لا والله لا أمحوک أبدا فأخذ رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم الکتاب فکتب هذا ما قاضی علیه

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1- Qur’an 98:2-3

محمد بن عبد الله لا یدخل مکه سلاح إلا فی القراب وأن لا یخرج من أهلها بأحد إن أراد أن یتبعه وأن لا یمنع أحدا من أصحابه أراد أن یقیم بها.

‘Ubayd Allah b. Musa – Israil – Abu Ishaq – al-Bara, may Allah be pleased with him:

When the Prophet, peace be upon him, intended to perform ‘Umrah in the month of Dhi al-Qa’dah, the people of Makkah did not let him enter Makkah till he settled the matter with them by promising to stay in it for three days only. When they wrote the document (of treaty), they wrote: “These are the terms on which Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, agreed”. They said, “We will not agree to this, for if we believed that you are the Messenger of Allah, we would not prevent you, but you are Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah.” He said, “I am the Messenger of Allah and also Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah.” Then, he said to ‘Ali, “Rub off (the words) ‘the Messenger of Allah.’” He (‘Ali) replied, “No, by Allah, I will never rub you off.” So, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, took the document AND WROTE, “This is what Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah has agreed upon: No arms will be brought into Makkah except in their cases, and nobody from the people of Makkah will be allowed to go with him even if he wished to follow him and he will not prevent any of his companions

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from staying in Makkah if the latter wants to stay.”(1)

How could an unlettered person have achieved such a feat?!

In any case, the problem of ‘Umar and his supporters with the instruction of their Prophet was only the bold phrase below:

ائتونی بکتاب أکتب لکم کتابا لن تضلوا بعده أبدا

Bring me a sheet of paper so that I may write a document for you after which you will never go astray.

We have drawn this conclusion from ‘Umar’s own reply to it:

قال عمر إن النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم غلبه الوجع وعندکم القرآن .فحسبنا کتاب الله

‘Umar said, “Verily, the illness has seized total control of the Prophet, peace be upon him. And you have the Qur’an. So, the Book of Allah is sufficient for us.”

Meanwhile, just a few weeks before, the Rasul had proclaimed at ‘Arafat:

یا أیها الناس إنی قد ترکت فیکم ما إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا کتاب الله وعترتی أهل بیتی

O mankind! I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah AND my offspring, my Ahl al-Bayt.”

A few days later, at Ghadir Khumm, he repeated the call:

قد ترکت فیکم ما إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا: کتاب الله سببه بیده، وسببه بأیدیکم، وأهل بیتی

I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah – one end of which is in His Hand and the other in your hands – AND my Ahl al-Bayt.”

It was

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1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 2, p. 960, 2552

certain that the Prophet of Allah was going to write – either in his own handwriting or through dictation – this same order of his to all humanity. He wanted it to be his written decree to the Ummah till the Hour; and we in our generation could have had a glance of it. ‘Umar caught wind of his intention – which was obvious anyway considering the similarities in his wordings. Then, he (‘Umar) delivered a preemptive response to the Messenger: “we do not want your offspring with the Qur’an; we want the Book of Allah alone”!

‘Umar’s issue was not whether the Prophet was literate or illiterate. In fact, he raised absolutely no objection on that point – which reinforces the conviction that the Rasul was literate later in life. Rather, he and his group were not prepared at all to accept the Ahl al-Bayt over them alongside the Book of Allah as masters and guides after the Prophet.

In order to ensure their success, the ‘Umarists placed a question mark on the mental competence of the Messenger of the Rabb before he was able to write anything. So, even if he had proceeded with his plan, the document would have been rejected after his death by the ‘Umarist movement – who would have named it the product of an deranged mind. In fact, this could have had a counterproductive effect on his earlier public pronouncements on the same matter.

Therefore, in his great wisdom – and, obviously, in accordance

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with a new decree from his Lord – Muhammad abandoned the idea and left everything to the Judgment of Allah. Meanwhile, as history would later confirm, it was on that calamitous Thursday, in that sad room, and at that fateful hour, that Sunni Islam was born, under the leadership of ‘Umar b. al-Khattab. Since that Thursday, Sunni Muslims have never ceased to reject the offspring of the Prophet, his Ahl al-Bayt, as the inseparable partner of the Qur’an in providing leadership and guidance to the Ummah in particular, and to humanity in general.

16) The Sahabah And The Ahl Al-Bayt: The Betrayal Was Predicted

The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, named Amir al-Muminin ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, ‘alaihi al-salam, as the first khalifah after him. He also indicated that all the other khalifahs will be from his offspring. In particular, he declared that all the khalifahs after him will be twelve in number, that they all would be royal Imams, and that their reign would continue uninterrupted till the Day of al-Qiyamah.

He further declared them the guides of this Ummah after him till the Hour, and that they never ever separate from the Qur’an - not even for one second. However, he equally prophesied that the Ummah would betray ‘Ali (and, by extension, all the other khalifahs) once he was gone! Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani (d. 852 H) copies:

حدثنا الفضل هو أبو نعیم ، ثنا فطر بن خلیفه ، أخبرنی حبیب بن أبی ثابت، قال: سمعت ثعلبه بن یزید، قال :سمعت علیا رضی الله عنه، یقول : والله

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إنه لعهد النبی الأمی صلی الله علیه وسلم: سیغدرونک من بعدی

Al-Fadhl, Abu Na’im – Fitr b. Khalifah – Habib b. Abi Thabit – Tha’labah b. Yazid:

I heard ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, saying: “I swear by Allah, verily, the Ummi Prophet, peace be upon him, told me: “They will soon betray you after me.”(1)

The Salafi annotator, ‘Abd Allah al-Shahri, comments:

ضعیف بهذا الإسناد لحال فطر بن خلیفه، و ثعلبه بن یزید فإنهما صدوقان متشیعان، و هذا الحدیث یُؤید بدعتهما فهو ضعیف

It is dha’if with this chain, due to the status of Fitr b. Khalifah and Tha’labah b. Yazid, for both of them were very truthful and Shi’is and this hadith supports their bid’ah. Therefore, it is dha’if.(2)

So, al-Shahri’s only problem with the sanad is the Shi’ism of Fitr and Tha’labah. Even though both were “very truthful”, this hadith of theirs cannot be accepted only because it supports their Shi’ism. A “scientific” way of discrediting reports, isn’t it?! Before examining the legitimacy of al-Shahri’s methodology, let us first look at the narrators of hadith, in order to have a clearer view of the whole picture.

As an initial observation, a key merit of this sanad is that it is perfectly connected. There is no break whatsoever among its narrators, and each of them explicitly declared that he literally heard the hadith from the mouth of his shaykh. Moreover, all the narrators are completely reliable without question.

Al-Hafiz states about the first narrator:

الفضل بن دکین الکوفی واسم دکین عمرو بن حماد

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1- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, al-Matalib al-‘Aliyah bi Zawaid al-Masanid al-Thamaniyyah (Riyadh: Dar al-‘Asimah; 1st edition, 1420 H) [annotator: ‘Abd Allah b. Ẓafir b. ‘Abd Allah al-Shahri], vol. 16, p. 64, 3919
2- Ibid

بن زهیر التیمی مولاهم الأحول أبو نعیم الملائی بضم المیم مشهور بکنیته ثقه ثبت

Al-Fadhl b. Dukayn al-Kufi - and the name of Dukayn was ‘Amr b. Hammad b. Zuhayr - al-Tamimi, their freed slave, al-Ahwal, Abu Na’im al-Mulai, well-known with his kunya: Thiqah (trustworthy), accurate.(1)

Concerning the second narrator, he further declares:

فطر بن خلیفه المخزومی مولاهم أبو بکر الحناط بالمهمله . والنون صدوق رمی بالتشیع

Fitr b. Khalifah al-Makhzumi, their freed slave, Abu Bakr al-Hanat: Saduq (very truthful), accused of Shi’ism.(2)

What of the third narrator? Al-Hafiz says:

حبیب بن أبی ثابت قیس ویقال هند بن دینار الأسدی مولاهم أبو یحیی الکوفی ثقه فقیه جلیل وکان کثیر الإرسال والتدلیس

Habib b. Abi Thabit Qays – and it is said Hind – b. Dinar al-Asadi, their freed slave, al-Kufi: Thiqah (trustworthy), a meritorious jurist. He used to do a lot of irsal and tadlis.(3)

Meanwhile, he has narrated with explicit sima’ above. So, his irsal and tadlis are inapplicable and inconsequential here.

Finally, this is what al-Hafiz states about the last narrator:

ثعلبه بن یزید الحمانی بکسر المهمله وتشدید المیم کوفی صدوق شیعی

Tha’labah b. Yazid al-Himmani, a Kufan: Saduq (very truthful), a Shi’i.(4)

This chain, therefore, is absolutely hasan without a doubt! It is simply faultless and unassailable.

As for al-Shahri’s rejection of the hadith on account of the Shi’ism of two of its narrators, we will let another Salafi hadith scientist, al-Mua’lami (d. 1386 H) reply him:

وقد وثق أئمه الحدیث جماعه من المبتدعه واحتجوا بأحادیثهم وأخرجوها فی الصحاح، ومن تتبع روایاتهم وجد فیها کثیراً مما یوافق ظاهره بدعهم، وأهل العلم

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1- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 2, p. 11, 5418
2- Ibid, vol. 2, p. 16, 5458
3- Ibid, vol. 1, p. 183, 1087
4- Ibid, vol. 1, p. 149, 849

یتأولون تلک الأحادیث غیر طاعنین فیها ببدعه راویها ولا فی راویها بروایته لها

The Imams in the hadith sciences have declared as trustworthy a lot of the heretics, and have taken their (i.e. the heretics’) ahadith as hujjah, and have recorded them (i.e. those reports) in their Sahih books. And whoever researches their (the heretics’) narrations finds that a lot of them apparently agree with their heresies. The scholars give alternative interpretations for those ahadith without attacking them (i.e. the ahadith) on account of the heresy of their narrators, nor do they attack the narrators for narrating them.(1)

‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) too seconds him:

فإن قال قائل: راوی هذا الشاهد شیعی، وکذلک فی سند المشهود له شیعی آخر، وهو جعفر بن سلیمان، أفلا یعتبر ذلک طعنا فی الحدیث وعله فیه؟ !

فأقول: کلا لأن العبره فی روایه الحدیث إنما هو الصدق والحفظ، وأما المذهب فهو بینه وبین ربه، فهو حسیبه

If someone says: “The narrator of this corroborative hadith (i.e. that of Ajlah) was a Shi’i, and also in the chain of the main hadith, there is another Shi’i, and he is Ja’far b. Sulayman. Does this not justify attack on the hadith and constitute a fault in it?”

So, I answer: “Not at all, because the requirements in the transmission of hadith are ONLY truthfulness and sound memory. As for the madhhab (of the narrator), that is between him and his Lord, and He is sufficient for him.(2)

A third Salafi hadith scientist, al-Turayfi, also traces the practice to the Sunni Imams:

والأصل فی روایه

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1- ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Yahya b. ‘Ali b. Muhammad al-Mu’alami al-‘Atmi al-Yamani, al-Tankil bi ma fi Ta-anib al-Kawthari min al-Abatil (al-Maktab al-Islami; 2nd edition, 1406 H) [annotators: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Zuhayr al-Shawish and ‘Abd al-Razzaq Hamzah], vol. 1, p. 237
2- Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihah wa Shayhun min Fiqhihah wa Fawaidihah (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma’arif li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1415 H), vol. 5, p. 262, 2223

المبتدع إذا کان ضابطاً ثقه القبول، سواء روی فیما یوافق بدعته أم لا، ما لم یکن قد کفر ببدعته، فحینئذ یرد لکفره، وعلی هذا الأئمه الحفاظ، فهم یخرجون للمبتدع إذا کان ثقه ثبتاً، ویصححون خبره

The default position concerning the report of a heretic, if he was accurate and trustworthy, is to accept it, regardless of whether he narrated concerning what agrees with his bid’ah (heresy) or not, as long as he had not apostatized through his heresy. In such a case, it will be rejected due to his kufr (disbelief). This was the practice of the Imams who were hadith scientists, for they used to narrate from the heretic if he was trustworthy and accurate, and used to declare his report to be sahih.(1)

The bottomline is that al-Shahri’s methodology of weakening the hadith is both unprofessional and crude.

Meanwhile, al-Hafiz copies a second, different chain for the hadith:

وقال الحارث: ثنا عبد الرحمن بن زیاد مولی بنی هاشم، ثنا هشیم، عن إسماعیل بن سالم، عن أبی إدریس الأودی، عن علی، قال: قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم :إن هذه الأمه ستغدر بک من بعدی

Al-Harith – ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Ziyad, freed slave of Banu Hashim – Hushaym – Isma’il b. Salim – Abu Idris al-Awdi – ‘Ali:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “Verily, this Ummah will soon betray you after me.”(2)

Al-Shahri again comments:

ضعیف بهذا الإسناد لأن أبا إدریس الأودی مجهول الحال

It is dha’if with this chain because Abu Idris al-Awdi is majhul al-hal.(3)

This time, he is unable to accuse

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1- ‘Abd al-‘Aziz b. Marzuq al-Turayfi, al-Tahjil fi Takhrij ma lam Yukhraj min al-Ahadith wa al-Athar fi Irwa al-Ghalil (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Rushd li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1422 H), p. 546
2- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, al-Matalib al-‘Aliyah bi Zawaid al-Masanid al-Thamaniyyah (Riyadh: Dar al-‘Asimah; 1st edition, 1420 H) [annotator: ‘Abd Allah b. Ẓafir b. ‘Abd Allah al-Shahri], vol. 16, p. 65, 3920
3- Ibid

any of the narrators of Shi’ism, or to find any other defect – real or imagined – in the chain other than Abu Idris. But then, is Abu Idris really majhul al-hal? ‘Ali Shiri, in his tahqiq of Tarikh Madinah Dimashq - while commenting under the above riwayah – identifies who Abu Idris was for us:

وهو أبو إدریس یزید بن عبد الرحمن الأودی

He was Abu Idris Yazid b. ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Awdi.(1)

Who then was he? Al-Hafiz has the answer:

یزید بن عبد الرحمن بن الأسود الأودی بواو ساکنه بعدها مهمله، أبو داود مقبول

Yazid b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. al-Aswad al-Awdi, Abu Dawud: Maqbul (accepted when seconded).(2)

Obviously, he is NOT majhul al-hal, but maqbul. This means that whenever he is seconded in his report, it is established from his shaykh. However, if he is alone in narrating a riwayah, then it is dha’if. We know already that he was seconded by Tha’labah b. Yazid. Therefore, this second sanad of the hadith is also sahih or hasan.

Imam al-Hakim (d. 403 H) has included the report of al-Awdi in his Mustadrak too:

حدثنا أبو حفص عمر بن أحمد الجمحی بمکه ثنا علی بن عبد العزیز ثنا عمرو بن عون ثنا هشیم عن إسماعیل بن سالم عن أبی إدریس الأودی عن علی رضی الله عنه قال إن مما عهد إلی النبی صلی الله علیه وسلم أن الأمه ستغدر بی بعده

Abu Hafs ‘Umar b. Ahmad al-Jamhi – ‘Ali b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz – ‘Amr b. ‘Awn – Hushaym – Isma’il b. Salim – Abu Idris al-Awdi – ‘Ali, may Allah

p: 141


1- Abu al-Qasim ‘Ali b. al-Hasan b. Habat Allah b. ‘Abd Allah, Ibn Asakir al-Shafi’i, Tarikh Madinah Dimashq (Beirut: Dar al-Fikr; 1st edition, 1417 H) [annotator: ‘Ali Shiri], vol. 42, p. 447, footnote 7
2- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 2, p. 328, 7774

be pleased with him:

“Verily, part of what the Prophet, peace be upon him, told me is that the Ummah would soon betray me after him.”(1)

Then, he declares:

هذا حدیث صحیح الإسناد

This hadith has a sahih chain.(2)

And Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) concurs:

صحیح

Sahih(3)

Al-Hakim has documented a further shahid:

عن حیان الأسدی سمعت علیا یقول قال لی رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم إن الأمه ستغدر بک بعدی وأنت تعیش علی ملتی وتقتل علی سنتی من أحبک أحبنی ومن أبغضک أبغضنی وإن هذه ستخضب من هذا یعنی لحیته من رأسه

Narrated Hayyan al-Asadi:

I heard ‘Ali saying: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to me: “Verily, the Ummah will soon betray you after me; and you will live upon my religion, and you will be killed upon my Sunnah. Whoever loves you loves me, and whoever hates you hates me. Verily, this will soon be painted from this”, he meant: his beard (will be drained with blood) from his head.(4)

Al-Hakim declares:

صحیح

Sahih(5)

Al-Dhahabi has the same verdict too:

صحیح

Sahih(6)

Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani has provided details of the sanad of this riwayah in his Itihaf:

ثنا أبو علی الحافظ ، ثنا الهیثم بن خلف، ثنا محمد بن عمر بن هیاج، ثنا یحیی بن عبد الرحمن، ثنا یونس بن أبی یعفور، عن أبیه، عنه ، به.

Abu ‘Ali al-Hafiz – al-Haytham b. Khalaf – Muhammad b. ‘Umar b. Hayyaj – Yahya b. ‘Abd al-Rahman – Yunus b. Abi Yafur – his father – from him (Hayyan al-Asadi) with it.(7)

As we have seen, both al-Hakim and al-Dhahabi declared it sahih. Obviously,

p: 142


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1411 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 3, p. 150, 4676
2- Ibid
3- Ibid
4- Ibid, vol. 3, p. 153, 4686
5- Ibid
6- Ibid
7- Abu al-Fadhl Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Itihaf al-Maharat (Madinah al-Munawwarah: Markaz Khidmah al-Sunnah wa al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah; 1st edition, 1415 H), vol. 11, p. 296, 14043. Al-Hafiz has cited Mustadrak of al-Hakim as his source for the chain, immediately after quoting the hadith, verbatim as above. In modern editions of Mustadrak, the sanad is missing. It is most likely that al-Hafiz had access to a extinct manuscript of Mustadrak which contained the full chain. Al-Hafiz too made a scribal error in copying the name of Hayyan al-Asadi. He has misspelt his name as Aban al-Asadi.

it provides additional strength to the other chains of the riwayah. It is our firm belief, anyway, that the combined force of the three asanid leaves absolutely no doubt about the authenticity of the report. Even al-Shahri, despite his extreme bias, is unable to escape the fact in his final conclusion about the hadith:

و مع أن الحدیث ضعیف بالنظر إلی کل طریق علی حده لکن بالنظر إلی الطریقین معا فالحدیث حسن لغیره

That the hadith is dha’if by looking at each chain individually; however, by looking at the two chains together (i.e. those of Tha’labah b. Yazid and Abu Idris al-Awdi), then the hadith is hasan li ghayrihi.(1)

The Messenger of Allah prophesied that “the Ummah” would betray Amir al-Muminin ‘Ali b. Abi Talib after him. The word “Ummah” was generalized by him. So, he was referring to the generality of the Ummah, and not just a small section of it. They would “betray” his chosen khalifah after his death. Of course, as history confirms, the generality of the Ummah – including the Sahabah - truly did betray Amir al-Muminin after the death of the Rasul.

Despite that he had explicitly named ‘Ali as his khalifah after him, they became traitors against the latter and installed a rebel leader in his place. Interestingly, Imam ‘Ali identified both Abu Bakr and ‘Umar as two among the traitors mentioned in the hadith of the Prophet of Allah. Imam Muslim (d. 261 H) quotes ‘Umar saying to him and ‘Abbas:

فلما توفی رسول الله صلی

p: 143


1- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, al-Matalib al-‘Aliyah bi Zawaid al-Masanid al-Thamaniyyah (Riyadh: Dar al-‘Asimah; 1st edition, 1420 H) [annotator: ‘Abd Allah b. Ẓafir b. ‘Abd Allah al-Shahri], vol. 16, p. 67, 3921

الله علیه و سلم قال أبو بکر أنا ولی رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم .... فرأیتماه کاذبا آثما غادرا خائنا والله یعلم إنه لصادق بار راشد تابع للحق ثم توفی أبو بکر وأنا ولی رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم وولی أبا بکر فرأیتمانی کاذبا آثما غادرا خائنا

When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, died, Abu Bakr said: “I am the wali of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.”.... So both of you (‘Ali and ‘Abbas) thought him (i.e. Abu Bakr) to be a liar, sinful, A TRAITOR and dishonest. And Allah knows that he was really truthful, pious, rightly-guided and a follower of the truth. Abu Bakr died and I became the wali of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and the wali of Abu Bakr. So both of you thought me to be a liar, sinful, A TRAITOR and dishonest.(1)

17) The Sahabah And The Ahl Al-Bayt: Hadith Al-Hawdh (Part 1)

The Qur’an informs us that we will be in three different categories on the Day of al-Qiyamah:

وکنتم أزواجا ثلاثه فأصحاب المیمنه ما أصحاب المیمنه وأصحاب المشأمه ما أصحاب المشأمه والسابقون السابقون

And you will be three kinds. So, Companions of the Right Hand, who will be Companions of the Right Hand? And Companions of the Left Hand, who will be Companions of the Left Hand? And those foremost will be foremost.(2)

Those who will be in the “foremost” group will be the nearest people to Allah in al-Jannah(3). All the other members of Paradise will be from the Right

p: 144


1- Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 3, p. 1376, 1757
2- Qur’an 56:7-10
3- Qur’an 56:10-12

Hand group(1). Our concern in this research are those who will be on the Left Hand. Everyone who will enter Hellfire will be from the Companions of the Left Hand:

وأصحاب الشمال ما أصحاب الشمال فی سموم وحمیم وظل من یحموم لا بارد ولا کریم

And Companions of the Left Hand, who will be Companions of the Left Hand? In fierce hot wind and boiling water, and shadow of black smoke, neither cool, nor good.(2)

And:

والذین کفروا بآیاتنا هم أصحاب المشأمه علیهم نار مؤصده

And those who disbelieved in Our Verses, they will be Companions of the Left Hand. The Fire will be shut over them.(3)

May Allah protect us from ever being among the Companions of the Left Hand.

The question here is about the Sahabah: will any of them be from the Companions of the Left Hand? We ask this because they generally failed to accept the offspring of the Messenger, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, as khalifahs and supreme guides after him.

So, what exactly will the consequence of their flouting of Hadith al-Thaqalayn and Hadith al-Khalifatayn be? Are they really going to suffer any punishment from Allah for their disobedience?

Furthermore, the Prophet had warned that his Ummah must follow his offspring after him in order to remain upon the true guidance. Well, the Sahabah did not heed his warning. So, did they derail from the Right Path?

Imam al-Bukhari (d. 256 H) records the answer:

حدثنا أحمد بن صالح حدثنا ابن وهب قال أخبرنی یونس عن ابن شهاب عن ابن المسیب أنه کان

p: 145


1- Qur’an 56:27-40
2- Qur’an 56:41-44
3- Qur’an 90:19-20

یحدث عن أصحاب النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم :أن النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم قال یرد علی الحوض رجال من أصحابی فیحلؤون عنه فأقول یا رب أصحابی ؟ فیقول إنک لا علم لک بما أحدثوا بعدک إنهم ارتدوا علی أدبارهم القهقری

Ahmad b. Salih – Ibn Wahb – Yunus – Ibn Shihab – Ibn al-Musayyab, who used to narrate from the Sahabah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

Some men from my Sahabah will come to my Lake-Fount and they will be driven away from it. So, I will say, “O my Lord, my Sahabah!” It will be said, “You have no knowledge of what they INNOVATED after you: they turned APOSTATES.”(1)

This hadith was transmitted by the Sahabah themselves, and it reflects the true Islamic position on the matter. Many of the Sahabah became “innovators” and “apostates” after the death of the Messenger of Allah. As a result, they will be Companions of the Left Hand on the Day of al-Qiyamah, and will thereby be thrown into Hellfire.

One of the Sahabah who spread this bad news about his kind was Anas. Imam Muslim (d. 261 H) has his report:

وحدثنی محمد بن حاتم حدثنا عفان بن مسلم الصفار حدثنا وهیب قال سمعت عبدالعزیز بن صهیب یحدث قال حدثنا أنس بن مالک أن النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم قال لیردن علی الحوض رجال ممن صاحبنی حتی إذا رأیتهم ورفعوا إلی اختلجوا دونی فلأقولن أی رب أصیحابی أصیحابی فلیقالن لی إنک لا تدری

p: 146


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 5, p. 2407, 6214

ما أحدثوا بعدک

Muhammad b. Hatim – ‘Affan b. Muslim al-Saffar – Wuhayb – ‘Abd al-‘Aziz b. Suhayb – Anas b. Malik:

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “Some persons from amongst those who kept me company will meet me at the Lake-Fount. I will see them, and they will be presented to me. Then, they will be forced away from me. I will say: ‘O my Lord, my Sahabah! My Sahabah’. It will be said to me: ‘You do not know what they INNOVATED after you.’”(1)

We will, in the last chapter of this book, identify some of these innovators among the Sahabah, through sahih Sunni riwayat. Some of these names may severely bother some of our brothers from the Ahl al-Sunnah.

Imam al-Bukhari has documented the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas too, on this matter:

حدثنا محمد بن یوسف حدثنا سفیان عن المغیره بن النعمان عن سعید بن جبیر عن ابن عباس رضی الله عنهما قال : قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم :تحشرون حفاه عراه غرلا ثم قرأ} کما بدأنا أول خلق نعیده وعدا علینا إنا کنا فاعلین .{فأول من یکسی إبراهیم ثم یؤخذ برجال من أصحابی ذات الیمین وذات الشمال فأقول أصحابی فیقال إنهم لم یزالوا مرتدین علی أعقابهم منذ فارقتهم فأقول کما قال العبد الصالح عیسی بن مریم} وکنت علیهم شهیدا ما دمت فیهم فلما توفیتنی کنت أنت الرقیب علیهم وأنت علی کل شیء شهید .إن تعذبهم فإنهم عبادک وإن تغفر لهم فإنک أنت العزیز الحکیم {

قال محمد بن یوسف ذکر عن أبی عبد الله عن

p: 147


1- Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 4, p. 1800, 2304 (40)

قبیصه قال هم المرتدون الذین ارتدوا علی عهد أبی بکر فقاتلهم أبی بکر رضی الله عنه

Muhammad b. Yusuf – Sufyan – al-Mughirah b. al-Nu’man – Sa’id b. Jubayr – Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “You will be resurrected bare-footed, naked and uncircumcised.” Then he recited: {As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it: a promise We have undertaken. Truly, We shall do it} [21:104]. He continued: “The first to be dressed will be Ibrahim. Then, some of my Sahabah will be taken towards the right side AND TOWARDS THE LEFT SIDE. So, I will say: ‘My Sahabah!’ It will be said, ‘THEY HAD BEEN APOSTATES SINCE YOU LEFT THEM.’ I will then say as the Righetous Servant, ‘Isa b. Maryam, said: {And I was a witness over them whilst I lived amongst them. But, when You caused me to die, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a Witness to all things. If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, You, only You, are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise} [5:117-118].”

Muhammad b. Yusuf narrated from Abu ‘Abd Allah that Qubaysah said: “They were those who apostatized during the time of Abu Bakr. So, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, fought them.”(1)

Qubaysah, one of the Sunni Imams, identified the apostates among the Sahabah as only those of them who renounced Islam during the rule of Abu Bakr. Our contention is

p: 148


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 3, p. 1271, 3263

that the apostates truly included, but were far more than just the Ahl al-Riddah. More details will be provided.

Imam Ahmad (d. 241 H) records the testimony of yet another Sahabi:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا عفان ثنا حماد بن سلمه أنا علی بن زید عن الحسن عن أبی بکره أن رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم قال لیردن علی الحوض رجال ممن صحبنی ورآنی حتی إذا رفعوا إلی ورأیتهم اختلجوا دونی فلأقولن رب أصحابی أصحابی فیقال إنک لا تدری ما أحدثوا بعدک

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – ‘Affan – Hammad b. Salamah – ‘Ali b. Zayd – al-Hasan – Abu Bakrah:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

Some persons from amongst those who kept me company AND SAW ME will meet me at the Lake-Fount. They will be presented to me and I will see them. But then, they will be forced away from me. So, I will say, “O my Lord! My Sahabah! My Sahabah!” It will be said, “You do not know what they INNOVATED after you.”(1)

Shaykh al-Arnaut comments:

صحیح لغیره

Sahih li ghayrihi(2)

Al-Bukhari returns again with the riwayah of Abu Hurayrah:

وقال أحمد بن شبیب بن سعید الحبطی حدثنا أبی عن یونس عن ابن شهاب عن سعید بن المسیب عن أبی هریره أنه کان یحدث :أن رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم قال یرد علی یوم القیامه رهط من أصحابی فیجلون عن الحوض فأقول یا رب أصحابی فیقول إنک لا علم لک بما أحدثوا بعدک إنهم ارتدوا علی أدبارهم القهقری

Ahmad b. Shabib

p: 149


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 5, p. 48, 20512
2- Ibid

b. Sa’id al-Hinti – my father – Yunus – Ibn Shihab – Sa’id b. al-Musayyab – Abu Hurayrah, that he used to say:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: On the Day of al-Qiyamah, a group from my Sahabah will meet me. But, they will be driven away from the Lake-Fount. So, I will say, “O my Lord! My Sahabah!” Then, He will say, “You have no knowledge of what they INNOVATED after you: they turned APOSTATES.”(1)

Ahmad b. Hanbal has the testimony of yet another Sahabi:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا سلیمان بن داود ثنا عبد الرحمن بن عبد الله بن دینار عن أبی حازم عن النعمان بن أبی عیاش الزرقی عن أبی سعید الخدری ان النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم قال فأقول أصحابی أصحابی فقیل انک لا تدری ما أحدثوا بعدک قال فأقول بعدا بعدا أو قال سحقا سحقا لمن بدل بعدی

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Sulayman b. Dawud – ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Abd Allah b. Dinar – Abu Hazim – al-Nu’man b. Abi ‘Ayyash al-Zarqi – Abu Sa’id al-Khudri:

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “So, I will say, ‘My Sahabah! My Sahabah!’ It will be said, ‘You do not know what they INNOVATED after you.’ Then I will say, ‘Woe, woe to whoever changed after me.’”(2)

Al-Arnaut says:

صحیح

Sahih(3)

Imam al-Bukhari also documents that of Ibn Mas’ud:

وحدثنی عمرو بن علی حدثنا محمد بن جعفر حدثنا شعبه عن المغیره قال سمعت أبا وائل عن عبد الله رضی الله عنه :عن النبی صلی

p: 150


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 5, p. 2407, 6213
2- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 3, p. 28, 11236
3- Ibid

الله علیه و سلم قال أنا فرطکم علی الحوض ولیرفعن رجال منکم ثم لیختلجن دونی فأقول یا رب أصحابی فیقال إنک لا تدری ما أحدثوا بعدک

‘Amr b. ‘Ali – Muhammad b. Ja’far – Shu’bah – al-Mughirah – Abu Wail – ‘Abd Allah, may Allah be pleased with him:

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: I will be your predecessor at the Lake-Fount. Some persons from amongst you will be presented to me. Then they will be forced away from me. Therefore, I will say, “O my Lord! My Sahabah!” It will be said, “You do not know what they INNOVATED after you.”(1)

He was addressing his Sahabah, and clearly stated that the innovators would be “from amongst” them.

Imam Ahmad documents the report of Hudhayfah as well:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا سریج بن النعمان حدثنا هشیم عن المغیره عن أبی وائل عن بن مسعود وحصین عن أبی وائل عن حذیفه قالا قال رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم أنا فرطکم علی الحوض أنظرکم لیرفع لی رجال منکم حتی إذا عرفتهم اختلجوا دونی فأقول رب أصحابی أصحابی فیقال إنک لا تدری ما أحدثوا بعدک

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Shurayh b. al-Nu’man – Hushaym – al-Mughirah – Abu Wail – Ibn Mas’ud AND Husayn – Abu Wail – Hudhayfah, both of them (Ibn Mas’ud and Hudhayfah) said:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “I will be your predecessor at the Lake-Fount, expecting you. Some persons from amongst you will be presented to me,

p: 151


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 5, p. 2404, 6205

and I will recognize them. Then, they will be forced away from me. So, I will say, ‘O my Lord! My Sahabah! My Sahabah!’ It will be said, ‘You do not know what they INNOVATED after you.’”(1)

Al-Arnaut comments:

هذا الحدیث له إسنادان: الأول إسناده صحیح والإسناد الثانی رجاله ثقات رجال الصحیح

This hadith has two chains. The first chain is sahih, and the narrators of the second chain are thiqah (trustworthy) narrators of the Sahih.(2)

Ahmad also records:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا عبد الصمد ثنا عبد العزیز بن مسلم حدثنا حصین عن أبی وائل عن حذیفه أن رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم قال لیردن علی الحوض أقوام فیختلجون دونی فأقول رب أصحابی رب أصحابی فیقال لی إنک لا تدری ما أحدثوا بعدک

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – ‘Abd al-Samad – ‘Abd al-‘Aziz b. Muslim – Husayn – Abu Wail – Hudhayfah:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “Groups of people will meet me at the Lake-Fount. But, they will be forced away from me. So, I will say, ‘O my Lord, my Sahabah! O my Lord, my Sahabah!’ It will be said to me, ‘You do not know what they INNOVATED after you.’”(3)

Al-Arnaut comments:

حدیث صحیح

A sahih hadith(4)

Imam al-Haythami (d. 807 H) copies the hadith of another prominent Sahabi:

وعن أبی مسعود عن النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم قال : " لیرفعن لی رجال من أصحابی حتی إذا رأیتهم اختلجوا دونی فأقول : أصحابی فیقال : إنک لا تدری ما أحدثوا بعدک "

Narrated Abu

p: 152


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 5, p. 393, 23385
2- Ibid
3- Ibid, vol. 5, p. 388, 23338
4- Ibid

Mas’ud, from the Prophet, peace be upon him:

Some persons from my Sahabah will be presented to me. When I see them, they will be forced away from me. So, I will say, “My Sahabah!” Then it will be said, “You do not know what they INNOVATED after you.”(1)

Al-Haythami says:

رواه الطبرانی ورجاله رجال الصحیح

Al-Tabarani recorded it and its narrators are narrators of the Sahih.(2)

Imam Ahmad has not relented yet:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا قتیبه بن سعید ثنا یعقوب بن عبد الرحمن عن أبی حازم قال سمعت سهلا یقول سمعت النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم یقول أنا فرطکم علی الحوض من ورد شرب ومن شرب لم یظمأ بعده أبدا ولیردن علی أقوام أعرفهم ویعرفوننی ثم یحال بینی وبینهم قال أبو حازم فسمعنی النعمان بن أبی عیاش وأنا أحدثهم هذا الحدیث فقال هکذا سمعت سهلا یقول قال فقلت نعم قال وأنا أشهد علی أبی سعید الخدری لسمعت یزید فیقول أنهم منی فیقال إنک لا تدری ما عملوا بعدک فأقول سحقا سحقا لمن بدل بعدی

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Qutaybah b. Sa’id – Ya’qub b. ‘Abd al-Rahman – Abu Hazim – Sahl:

I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying: “I will be your predecessor at the Lake-Fount, and whoever will pass by there, he will drink from it and whoever will drink from it, he will never again be thirsty. Groups of people will meet me. I will recognize them and they will recognize me.Then, a barrier will be placed between me and them.”

Abu Hazim

p: 153


1- Nur al-Din ‘Ali b. Abi Bakr al-Haythami, Majma’ al-Zawaid (Beirut: Dar al-Fikr; 1412 H), vol. 10, pp. 662-663, 18471
2- Ibid

said: al-Nu’man b. Abi ‘Ayyash heard me while I was narrating this hadith to them and said. “Did you hear this from Sahl?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “I bear witness that I heard Abu Sa’id al-Khudri adding (as part of the hadith): “I will say: ‘They are from me’. It will be said, ‘You do not know what they did after you.’ I will say, ‘Woe to those who changed after me.’”(1)

Al-Arnaut declares:

إسناده صحیح علی شرط الشیخین

Its chain is sahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.(2)

Imam Muslim returns again:

وحدثنا ابن أبی عمر حدثنا یحیی بن سلیم عن ابن خثیم عن عبدالله بن عبیدالله بن أبی ملیکه أنه سمع عائشه تقول سمعت رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم یقول وهو بین ظهرانی أصحابه إنی علی الحوض أنتظر من یرد علی منکم والله لیقتطعن دونی رجال فلأقولن أی رب منی ومن أمتی فیقول إنک لا تدری ما عملوا بعدک ما زالوا یرجعون علی أعقابهم

Ibn Abi ‘Umar – Yahya b. Salim – Ibn Khaytham – ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Ubayd Allah b. Abi Mulaykah – ‘Aishah:

I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying while he was in front of his Sahabah: “I will be at the Lake-Fount, expecting whosoever from amongst you will meet me. By Allah, some persons will be cut away from me, and I will, as a result say ‘O my Lord! From me, and from my Ummah.’ He will say, ‘You do not know what they did after you. They did not cease to

p: 154


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 5, p. 333, 22873
2- Ibid

turn back upon their heels.’”(1)

And al-Bukhari caps it with the report of her sister:

حدثنا سعید بن أبی مریم عن نافع بن عمر قال حدثنی ابن أبی ملیکه عن أسماء بنت أبی بکر رضی الله عنهما قالت :قال النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم إنی علی الحوضحتی أنظر من یرد علی منکم وسیؤخذ ناسدونی فأقول یا رب منی ومن أمتی فیقال هل شعرت ما عملوا بعدک والله ما برحوا یرجعون علی أعقابهم .

فکان ابن أبی ملیکه یقول اللهم إنا نعوذ بک أن نرجع علی أعقابنا أو نفتن عن دیننا

Sa’id b. Abi Maryam – Nafi’ b. ‘Umar – Ibn Abi Mulaykah - Asma b. Abi Bakr, may Allah be pleased with them both:

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “I will be at the Lake-Fount expecting whoever will meet me from amongst you. Some people will be taken away from me. So, I will say, “They are from me, and from my Ummah.” It will be said, “Do you know what they did after you? By Allah! They did not cease to turn back upon their heels.”

As a result (of this hadith) Ibn Abi Mulaykah used to say: “O Allah, we seeks refuge with You from turning back on our heels or facing trials in our religion”.(2)

With this, the ahadith have been narrated by, at least, the following Sahabah:

1. Anas b. Malik

2. Ibn ‘Abbas

3. Abu Bakrah

4. Abu Hurayrah

5. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri

6. ‘Abd Allah b. Mas’ud

7. Hudhayfah

8. Abu Mas’ud

9. Sahl

10. Umm al-Muminin ‘Aishah

11. Asma b. Abi Bakr

So, the tawattur of this matter

p: 155


1- Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 4, p. 1794, 2294 (28)
2- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 5, p. 2409, 6220

is beyond question.

18) The Sahabah And The Ahl Al-Bayt: Hadith Al-Hawdh (Part 2)

As expected, our ‘ulama from the Ahl al-Sunnah have offered various explanations for Hadith al-Hawdh, some of them deliberately aimed at saving certain famous Sahabah. Al-Hafiz (d. 852 H), for instance, states:

وقال الخطابی لم یرتد من الصحابه أحد وانما ارتد قوم من جفاه الاعراب ممن لا نصره له فی الدین وذلک لا یوجب قدحا فی الصحابه المشهورین ویدل قوله أصیحابی بالتصغیر علی قله عددهم

Al-Khattabi said: “None of the Sahabah ever apostatized. It was only a group from the Bedouin Arabs, among those who had no help in the religion. Therefore, this does not constitute a blemish on the well-known Sahabah; and his statement usayhabi (“my Sahabah”) with tasghir points to their small number.(1)

Imam al-Mubarakfuri (d. 1282 H) also submits:

قال القاضی یرید بهم من ارتد من الأعراب الذین أسلموا فی أیامه کأصحاب مسیلمه والأسود وأضرابهم

Al-Qadhi said: “He intended by them those who apostatized among the Bedouin Arabs who had accepted Islam during his lifetime, like the companions of Musaylamah and al-Aswad and their likes.”(2)

He further adds concerning the ahadith:

قال النووی هذا مما أختلف العلماء فی المراد علی أقوال

أحدها أن المراد به المنافقون والمرتدون ….

والثانی أن المراد من کان فی زمن النبی صلی الله علیه وسلم ثم ارتد بعده ….

والثالث أن المراد أصحاب المعاصی الکبائر الذین ماتوا علی التوحید وأصحاب البدع

الذین لم یخرجوا ببدعتهم عن الاسلام

Al-Nawawi said: “This is part of what the scholars dispute about its meaning, submitting various opinions:

One of them is that those intended were the hypocrites and apostates....

The second opinion is that those intended

p: 156


1- Shihab al-Din Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Fath al-Bari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari (Beirut: Dar al-Ma’rifah li al-Taba’ah wa al-Nashr; 2nd edition), vol. 11, p. 333
2- Abu al-‘Ala Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Mubarakfuri, Tuhfat al-Ahwazi bi Sharh Jami’ al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1410 H), vol. 9, p. 6

were those who lived during the lifetime of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and then apostatized after him....

The third opinion is that those intended are the major sinners who die upon al-tawhid (i.e. as true Muslims) and the heretics whose heresy does not take them out of Islam.”(1)

Therefore, the various Sunni explanations of the ahadith can be summarized in this manner:

The “Sahabah” mentioned in the reports were the Bedouin Arabs who renounced Islam during the rule of Abu Bakr. None of the Muhajirun, Ansar or other major Sahabah were involved or included.

Or, rather, those “Sahabah” were the hypocrites and apostates during the lifetime of the Prophet (and perhaps beyond).

Or, those “Sahabah” are actually the “major sinners” and minor heretics of all times.

The affected “Sahabah” were “few” because the Messenger, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, in some ahadith, called them usayhabi with tasghir.

However, looking at the actual ahadith, one must conclude that none of the Sunni interpretations is accurate. For instance, the reports identify the Sahabah meant as those “who kept me company and saw me” and “I will recognize them and they will recognize me”. This rules out the claim that the “Sahabah” in the riwayat are all major sinners and minor heretics.

None of such people in our times, for example, ever saw the Prophet or kept him company! Yet, those descriptions do not match the Bedouin Arabs either. They were nomadic people, who wandered in the desert, round about the city of al-Madinah. Some of them might have

p: 157


1- Ibid, vol. 7, p. 93

seen the Messenger of Allah. But, they certainly were not keeping him company in the city and elsewhere. In fact, the Qur’an distinguishes between them and the people of Madinah:

وممن حولکم من الأعراب منافقون ومن أهل المدینه

And among the Bedouin Arabs round about you, some are hypocrites, and so are some among the people of al-Madinah.(1)

And:

ما کان لأهل المدینه ومن حولهم من الأعراب أن یتخلفوا عن رسول الله ولا یرغبوا بأنفسهم عن نفسه

It was not becoming of the people of al-Madinah and the Bedouin Arabs round about them to remain behind the Messenger of Allah and to prefer their own lives to his life.(2)

Therefore, the Bedouin Arabs lived outside al-Madinah. So, they were unable to keep company of the Prophet. To do that, they must first settle in the city, which they never did. Moreover, it was impossible for the Messenger to have personally known many of them. They lived far away from him. It was even possible that he never, for once, set his eyes on a lot of them.

Yet, the ahadith are clear that he will recognize the affected Sahabah in the Hereafter!

The bottom-line is that the Sahabah who will be driven into Hellfire for their “innovations” were those who lived with the Rasul in al-Madinah, kept him company, and were known personally to him.

Part of what supports our position are these words of Umm al-Muminin ‘Aishah:

سمعت رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم یقول وهو بین ظهرانی أصحابه إنی علی الحوض أنتظر من یرد علی

p: 158


1- Qur’an 9:101
2- Qur’an 9:120

منکم

I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying while he was in front of his Sahabah: “I will be at the Lake-Fount, expecting whosoever from amongst you will meet me.”

He was addressing his Sahabah. By default, this took place in al-Madinah, as there is nothing to suggest otherwise. Then, he declared that those who will be driven away from the Lake-Fount were from amongst those same Sahabah “in front of” him. Moreover, al-Bukhari (d. 256 H) documents for us the unmistakable interpretation of a senior Sahabi:

حدثنی أحمد بن إشکاب حدثنا محمد بن فضیل عن العلاء بن المسیب عن أبیه قال: لقیت البراء بن عازب رضی الله عنهما فقلت طوبی لک صحبت النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم وبایعته تحت الشجره فقال یا ابن أخی إنک لا تدری ما أحدثنا بعده

Ahmad b. Ishkab – Muhammad b. Fudhayl – al-‘Ala b. al-Musayyab – his father (al-Musayyab):

I met al-Bara b. ‘Azib, may Allah be pleased with them both, and I said, “Congratulations to you! You kept company of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and gave him ba’yah under the Tree”. As a result of this, he replied, “O son of my brother, you do not know what WE HAVE INNOVATED after him.”(1)

This is important. It confirms that those Sahabah who kept company of the Messenger of Allah and gave him ba’yah under the Tree became innovators after him. The language of al-Bara was general. This shows that the innovations were very widespread among this category of Sahabah; and they

p: 159


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 4, p. 1529, 3937

were primarily Muhajirun and Ansar! This however does not rule out the fact that some of them also never deviated from the Qur’an and Sunnah.

So, the argument that the “Sahabah” in the Hadith al-Hawdh refers to the Bedouin Arabs or to anyone in the post-Sahabah era simply cannot hold. The innovators were from the inhabitants of al-Madinah and so were able to keep company of the Prophet, and many of them also gave him ba’yah under the Tree of al-Hudaybiyyah. They were people who saw him, and were amongst the very Sahabah he was addressing with the ahadith during his lifetime. A key point in the reports is highlighted in this riwayah of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri:

ان النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم قال فأقول أصحابی أصحابی فقیل انک لا تدری ما أحدثوا بعدک قال فأقول بعدا بعدا أو قال سحقا سحقا لمن بدل بعدی

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “So, I will say, ‘My Sahabah! My Sahabah!’ It will be said, ‘You do not know what they INNOVATED after you.’ Then I will say, ‘Woe, woe to WHOEVER CHANGED after me.’”(1)

These Sahabah were upon the upright religion throughout the lifetime of the Messenger, but only “changed” after his death. This indicates that they could not have been the hypocrites – who were never upon al-Haqq, to begin with(2). This theme prevails throughout the riwayat; and emphasis is laid upon the fact that these Sahabah will be in Hellfire solely for what they innovated after the Prophet.

Their innovations constituted

p: 160


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 3, p. 28, 11236
2- See Qur’an 4:142, 9:67-68, and 48:6

apostasy from Islam, as well. Certainly, some bid’ahs are of such seriousness. In order to apostatize, one must first be upon the true religion. The fact that these Sahabah became apostates through their bid’ahs after the Messenger shows clearly that they were within Islam before then. This obviously was not the condition of the hypocrites.

Al-Khattabi attempts to downplay the significance of these revelations about the Sahabah:

ویدل قوله أصیحابی بالتصغیر علی قله عددهم

his statement usayhabi (“my Sahabah”) with tasghir points to their small number

To him, these heretical “Sahabah” – whom he incorrectly identifies as Bedouin Arabs – were only few in number. His proof is that the Messenger, in some ahadith, called them usayhabi, which is truly a reference to a small number of Sahabah. What al-Khattabi fails to mention, however, is that the Prophet has also called them ashabi (أصحابی) in most of the ahadith, as well as aqwam (أقوام), the plural of qawm. Both ashabi (أصحابی) and aqwam (أقوام) are terms that can refer to very large numbers of people. In fact, aqwam itself could mean entire “nations” or “races”.(1)

The most logical explanation for these different terminologies is that the apostate Sahabah will be coming to the Messenger of the Lord in groups of various sizes – some very small, some very big. This equally justifies why the word aqwam (أقوام) [groups] has been used in some riwayat. As for the small groups, the Prophet will call them usayhabi; and he will identify the large groups as ashabi. Imam

p: 161


1- Hans Wehr, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, ed. J. Milton Cowan (Ithaca, New York: Spoken Languages Services; 3rd edition, 1976 CE), p. 800; see also Dr. Rohi Baalbaki, al-Mawrid: A Modern Arabic-English Dictionary (Beirut: Dar al-‘Ilm li al-Malayin; 7th edition, 1995 CE), p. 877

al-Bukhari documents a report of Abu Hurayrah, which gives additional strength to our submissions:

حدثنی إبراهیم بن المنذر الحزامی حدثنا محمد بن فلیح حدثنا أبی قال حدثنی هلال عن عطاء بن یسار عن أبی هریره : عن النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم قال بینا أنا نائم إذا زمره حتی إذا عرفتهم خرج رجل من بینی وبینهم فقال هلم فقلت أین؟ قال إلی النار والله قلت وما شأنهم؟ قال إنهم ارتدوا بعدک علی أدبارهم القهقری .ثم إذا زمره حتی إذا عرفتهم خرج رجل من بینی وینهم فقال هلم قلت أین؟ قال إلی النار والله قلت ما شأنهم؟ قال إنهم ارتدوا بعدک علی أدبارهم القهقری فلا أراه یخلصمنهم إلا مثل همل النعم

Ibrahim b. al-Mundhir al-Huzami – Muhammad b. Fulayh – my father – Hilal – ‘Ata b. Yasar – Abu Hurayrah:

In my dream, a group of persons (zumrah) came. Once I recognized them, a man came between me and them, saying (to them), “Let’s go”. I said, “To where?” He replied, “To Hellfire, I swear by Allah!” I asked, “What is their offence?” He said, “They apostatized after you!”

Then, another group came, and when I recognized them, a man came between me and them, saying (to them), “Let’s go”. I said, “To where?” He replied, “To Hellfire, I swear by Allah!” I asked, “What is their offence?” He said, “They apostatized after you.”

I do not see any of them escaping except very few.(1)

Commenting on the word used in the hadith, Dr. al-Bagha writes:

)زمره (جماعه

(Zumrah) means a jama’ah.(2)

Meanwhile, a jama’ah can refer to

p: 162


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 5, p. 2407, 6215
2- Ibid

any group of two people or more. In fact, a group of millions is still only a jama’ah! For instance, the entire worldwide Sunni population of more than one billion people are a single jama’ah. This hadith mentions two such groups. However, the use of aqwam (أقوام) elsewhere confirms that they were more than two. The above report has only cut short the long story. In any case, the terms adopted by the Messenger of Allah suggest that the overall numbers of apostate Sahabah were great. This seems to be the message of this part of the hadith too:

فلا أراه یخلصمنهم إلا مثل همل النعم

I do not see any of them escaping except very few.

Was the Prophet saying “I did not see any of the apostates escaping except a few”? Of course, he never could have said or meant that. Apostates never escape Hellfire in the Hereafter. They enter it inescapably and burn therein eternally(1). The most obvious meaning of the phrase is that only very few from each group (zumrah, qawm) will be free.

Most of each group of Sahabah – whom he knew personally – that will come to the Lake-Fount will be thrown into Hellfire for blasphemous heresies; and only a tiny number of each set will be acquitted. This, of course, confirms absolutely that the overwhelming majority of the Sahabah became first-grade innovators after the death of the Messenger.

19) The Sahabah And The Ahl Al-Bayt: Hadith Al-Hawdh (Part 3)

Perhaps, it is time to see the faces of some of these heretics. We know

p: 163


1- See Qur’an 2:39, 4:168-169 and 64:10

already from al-Bara that the Sahabah who gave ba’yah to the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, under the Tree of al-Hudaybiyyah were among them. These, of course, were the most senior Sahabah – from the Muhajirun, the Ansar and some others. Writing about these people, Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 H) says:

ثم إن المسلمین بایعوه و دخلوا فی طاعته و الذین بایعوه هم الذین بایعوا رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم تحت الشجره و هم السابقون الأولون من المهاجرین و الأنصار و الذین اتبعوهم بإحسان رضی الله عنهم و رضوا عنه و هم أهل الإیمان و الهجره و الجهاد و لم یتخلف عن بیعته إلا سعد بن عباده

Besides, the Muslims gave ba’yah to him (i.e. Abu Bakr) and obeyed him. Those who gave ba’yah to him were those same who gave ba’yah to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, under the Tree, and they were the foremost Muhajirun and Ansar and those who followed them in good deeds. Allah was pleased with them and they were pleased with Him; and they were people of iman, Hijrah and jihad, and none refused to give him (i.e. Abu Bakr) bay’ah except Sa’d b. ‘Ubadah.(1)

Obviously, Allah was pleased with them generally during the lifetime of the Prophet, because they had iman and were righteous(2). However, they “changed” after him, and “innovated” in the religion. These later actions removed the Pleasure of Allah from them, and cancelled His Promises to them – which were hinged upon their continued iman and righteousness

p: 164


1- Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad b. ‘Abd al-Halim b. Taymiyyah al-Harrani, Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah (Muasassat Qurtubah; 1st edition, 1406 H) [annotator: Dr. Muhammad Rashad Salim], vol. 7, p. 450
2- There were a few exceptions though, such as those of them who accused the Rasul of mental illness on the tragic Thursday. But, the vast majority of them remained upon the truth until after the death of the Prophet.

anyway(1).

Meanwhile, we have Sunni reports which also identify some of these Sahabah by name with various other bid’ahs. Imam Muslim (d. 261 H) records one of them:

وحدثنا محمد بن المثنی وابن بشار قال ابن المثنی حدثنا محمد بن جعفر حدثنا شعبه عن الحکم عن عماره بن عمیر عن إبراهیم بن أبی موسی عن أبی موسی أنه کان یفتی بالمتعه فقال له رجل رویدک ببعض فتیاک فإنک لا تدری ما أحدث أمیر المؤمین فی النسک بعد حتی لقیه بعد فسأله فقال عمر قد علمت أن النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم قد فعله وأصحابه ولکن کرهت أن یظلوا معرسین بهن فی الأراک ثم یروحون فی الحج تقطر رؤسهم

Muhammad b. al-Muthanna and Ibn Bashar – Muhammad b. Ja’far – Shu’bah – al-Hakam – ‘Amarah b. ‘Umayr – Ibrahim b. Abi Musa – Abu Musa:

I used to give fatwas in favour of Hajj al-Tamattu’. So, a person said to me, “Exercise restraint in delivering some of your fatwas, for you do not know what the Commander of the Believers has INNOVATED in the Hajj rites during your absence.” I met him subsequently and asked him and he replied, “I know that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and his Sahabah performed it. But, I hate that the married persons should have intercourse with their wives under the shade of trees, and then set out for Hajj with water trickling from their heads.”(2)

Imam Ahmad (d. 241 H) documents a fuller version:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا عبد الرزاق أنا الثوری عن قیس

p: 165


1- In the Qur’an, Allah has made His Pleasure and all His promises of Paradise conditional upon the steadfastness (istiqamah) of the believer upon the Right Guidance. The moment he slides back, everything he had previously earned goes up in smoke. See Qur’an 41:30-32 and 46:13-14. Even Prophet Muhammad too was ordered to be steadfast in his Islam. See Qur’an 11:112. In recognition of this fact, Allah commanded him to tell his Ummah that he (Muhammad) too would enter Hellfire if he slid back. See Qur’an 2:120, 10:15 and 69:44-47. So, the fact that Allah was once pleased with a Sahabi, or that he had promised him Paradise during the lifetime of His Messenger, is not sufficient. It has to be shown that the Sahabi did not later slide back from the Right Guidance by innovating bid’ahs or committing grave atrocities.
2- Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 2, p. 896, 1222 (157)

بن مسلم عن طارق بن شهاب عن أبی موسی الأشعری قال …ما زلت أفتی الناس بالذی أمرنی رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم حتی توفی ثم زمن أبی بکر رضی الله تعالی عنه ثم زمن عمر رضی الله تعالی عنه فبینا أنا قائم عند الحجر الأسود أو المقام أفتی الناس بالذی أمرنی به رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم إذ أتانی رجل فسارنی فقال لا تعجل بفتیاک فان أمیر المؤمنین قد أحدث فی المناسک شیئا فقلت أیها الناس من کنا أفتیناه فی المناسک شیئا فلیتئد فإن أمیر المؤمنین قادم فبه فأتموا قال فقدم عمر رضی الله تعالی عنه فقلت یا أمیر المؤمنین هل أحدثت فی المناسک شیئا قال نعم إن نأخذ بکتاب الله عز و جل فإنه یأمر بالتمام وإن نأخذ بسنه نبینا صلی الله علیه و سلم فإنه لم یحلل حتی نحر الهدی

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – ‘Abd al-Razzaq – al-Thawri – Qays b. Muslim – Tariq b. Shihab – Abu Musa al-Ash’ari:

... I continued to give fatwas to the people with what the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, commanded me (i.e. Hajj al-Tamattu’) till he died, then during the time of Abu Bakr, may Allah the Most High be pleased with him, then during the time of ‘Umar, may Allah the Most High be pleased with him. Then, while I was standing near the Black Stone or the Maqam, I gave fatwa to the people with that which the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, commanded

p: 166

me. At that point, a man came to me and whispered to me, saying “Exercise constraint with your fatwas, for the Commander of the Believers had INNOVATED something in the Hajj rites.” So, I said, “O people, whomever we gave any fatwa concerning the Hajj rites, let him wait, for the Commander of the Believers is about to come to you, and you should follow him.”

‘Umar, may Allah the Most High be pleased with him, then came and I said, “O Commander of the Believers! Did you INNOVATE something in the Hajj rites?” He replied, “Yes. If we follow the Book of Allah the Almighty, it commands to do al-tamam (i.e. Hajj al-Tamattu’); and if we follow the Sunnah of our Prophet, peace be upon him, he, peace be upon him, did not put off ihram till he had sacrificed the animal.”(1)

Al-Arnaut says:

إسناده صحیح علی شرط الشیخین

Its chain is sahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.(2)

But, what exactly was this self-confessed “innovation” of ‘Umar in the Hajj rites? Imam al-Nasai (d. 303 H) records the answer:

أخبرنا محمد بن علی بن الحسن بن شقیق قال أنبأنا أبی قال أنبأنا أبو حمزه عن مطرف عن سلمه بن کهیل عن طاوس عن بن عباس قال سمعت عمر یقول والله إنی لأنهاکم عن المتعه وإنها لفی کتاب الله ولقد فعلها رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم یعنی العمره فی الحج

Muhammad b. ‘Ali b. al-Hasan b. Shaqiq – my father – Abu Hamzah – Mutarrif – Salamah b. Kuhayl – Tawus – Ibn

p: 167


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 4, p. 393, 19523
2- Ibid

‘Abbas:

I heard ‘Umar saying, “I swear by Allah, I forbid you from Hajj al-Tamattu’ while it certainly is in the Book of Allah and the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, practised it.” He meant the performance of ‘Umrah during Hajj.(1)

‘Allamah al-Albani says:

صحیح الإسناد

It has a sahih chain(2)

Interesting, isn’t it? Allah commands Hajj al-Tamattu’ in His Book, and His Messenger performed it and also “commanded” his Sahabah with it. But, ‘Umar arrogated to himself the authority to countermand the Order of his Lord, and to proscribe the Sunnah of his Prophet! Surprisingly, he personally admitted that his action was an innovation in the Hajj rites. Yet, he pressed ahead with it. Even more unbelievable was the instruction of Abu Musa to his followers to abandon the Qur’an and Sunnah in favour of ‘Umar’s bid’ah?!

This incident reveals how audacious the senior Sahabah were in trampling upon the Laws of Allah as they wished. They easily abandoned the Qur’an and Sunnah, just to satisfy their rulers. People like ‘Umar too saw nothing bad in supplanting the Laws of Allah with his own “innovations”; and he did not bat an eye-lid doing so. In any case, our main interest is to establish that ‘Umar was an innovator; and, all praise be to Allah, he too personally confirmed that explicitly.(3)

Another senior Sahabi whose bid’ah became apparent was ‘Uthman b. ‘Affan, the third Sunni khalifah. After the death of ‘Umar, he carried on the former’s bid’ah, as Imam Muslim documents:

حدثنا محمد بن المثنی وابن

p: 168


1- Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Ahmad b. Shu’ayb al-Nasai, al-Mujtaba min al-Sunan (Halab: Maktab al-Matbu’at al-Islamiyyah; 2nd edition, 1406 H) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 5, p. 153, 2736
2- Ibid
3- The case of ‘Umar seems to be even more serious than that of the Sahabah who will be charged with apostasy at the Lake-Fount. From the look of it, he will be in a worse category than them. At least, those Sahabah were upon the Qur’an and Sunnah, and upon the correct iman and tawhid, throughout the lifetime of the Messenger. They only apostatized through their bid’ahs after his death. By contrast, there is evidence which casts serious doubts on the iman of ‘Umar b. al-Khattab during the time of the Prophet. For instance, he was the leader of the group of Sahabah who accused the Messenger of Allah of “raving madness”. No true believer would ever do that. Anyway, our Sunni brothers insist that he was a perfect believer while the Prophet lived. Even then, they cannot deny the fact that he turned an “innovator” after the death of the Rasul.

بشار قال ابن المثنی حدثنا محمد بن جعفر حدثنا شعبه عن قتاده قال قال عبدالله ابن شقیق کان عثمان ینهی عن المتعه وکان علی یأمر بها فقال عثمان لعلی کلمه ثم قال علی لقد علمت أنا قد تمتعنا مع رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم فقال أجل ولکنا کنا خائفین

Muhammad b. al-Muthanna and Ibn Bashar – Muhammad b. Ja’far – Shu’bah – Qatadah – ‘Abd Allah b. Shaqiq:

‘Uthman used to forbid Hajj al-Tamattu’ while ‘Ali used to command people to perform it. So, as a result, ‘Uthman said something to ‘Ali. Then, ‘Ali said, “You know that we performed Hajj al-Tamattu’ with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.” He (‘Uthman) replied, “That’s right. But, we were in fear then.”(1)

What fear exactly was ‘Uthman talking about? There was none when the Prophet and his Sahabah performed Hajj al-Tamattu’. Even ‘Umar, the original founder of this bid’ah, did not attempt to bring up such a ridiculous revision of history. Besides, ‘Umar himself named it an innovation. So, ‘Uthman had no real defence whatsoever. Imam Ahmad also records:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبی ثنا محمد بن جعفر ثنا شعبه عن الحکم عن علی بن الحسین عن مروان بن الحکم انه قال شهدت علیا وعثمان رضی الله عنهما بین مکه والمدینه وعثمان ینهی عن المتعه وان یجمع بینهما فلما رأی ذلک علی رضی الله عنه أهل بهما فقال لبیک بعمره وحج معا فقال عثمان رضی الله عنه ترانی أنهی الناس عنه وأنت تفعله قال لم أکن أدع سنه رسول الله صلی الله

p: 169


1- Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 2, p. 896, 1223 (158)

علیه و سلم لقول أحد من الناس

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Muhammad b. Ja’far – Shu’bah – al-Hakam – ‘Ali b. al-Husayn – Marwan b. al-Hakam:

I witnessed ‘Ali and ‘Uthman, may Allah be pleased with them both, between Makkah and Madinah. ‘Uthman was forbidding (people) from Hajj al-Tamattu’, and from joining them both (Hajj and ‘Umrah) together (during the Hajj season). When ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said that, he took the ihram for both of them (i.e. Hajj and ‘Umrah), and said, “Labaik bi ‘Umrah wa Hajj”. So, ‘Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “You saw me forbidding the people from it, and yet you are performing it.” He (‘Ali) replied, “I will never abandon the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, on the word of anyone from mankind.”(1)

As-salamu ‘alaika ya Amir al-Muminin ‘Ali b. Abi Talib! Unlike Abu Musa who abandoned the Sunnah for the “innovation” of ‘Umar, Imam ‘Ali would rather die than commit such an abomination.

Meanwhile, apart from continuing the bid’ah of ‘Umar, ‘Uthman proceed to found his own too. Imam Abu Dawud (d. 275 H) documents his feat:

حدثنا محمد بن سلمه المرادی ثنا ابن وهب عن یونس عن ابن شهاب قال أخبرنی السائب بن یزید أن الأذان کان أوله حین یجلس الإمام علی المنبر یوم الجمعه فی عهد النبی صلی الله علیه و سلم وأبی بکر وعمر [رضی الله عنهما] فلما کان خلافه عثمان وکثر الناس أمر عثمان یوم الجمعه بالأذان

p: 170


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 1, p. 135, 1139

الثالث فأذن به علی الزوراء (الزوراء موضع بسوق المدینه) فثبت الأمر علی ذلک

Muhammad b. Salamah al-Muradi – Ibn Wahb – Yunus – Ibn Shihab – al-Saib b. Yazid:

The adhan used to be made for the first time when the Imam sat on the pulpit on Friday during the lifetimes of the Prophet, peace be upon him, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar [may Allah be pleased with them both]. But, during the khilafah of ‘Uthman, when the population grew, ‘Uthman ordered a THIRD adhan. So, the adhan was made at al-Zawra (al-Zawra was a plat near the market of al-Madinah), and the practice became established.(1)

Al-Albani says:

صحیح

Sahih(2)

In other words, the first adhan used to be made once the Messenger was seated on the pulpit during his lifetime. Later, there was a second one – actually the iqamah, which was also the final. Imam al-Mubarakfuri (d. 1282 H) clarifies further:

والمعنی کان الأذان فی العهد النبوی وعهد أبی بکر وعمر أذانین أحدهما حین خروج الإمام وجلوسه علی المنبر والثانی حین إقامه الصلاه فکان فی عهدهم الأذانان فقط ولم یکن الأذان الثالث والمراد بالأذانین الأذان الحقیقی والإقامه

The meaning of the statement “the adhan during the time of the Prophet, and the time of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, used to be two adhans”: one of them was when the Imam came out (into the mosque) and sat down on the pulpit, and the second was during the iqamah of the Salat. During their times, the adhans were only two, and there was no third one; and what

p: 171


1- Abu Dawud Sulayman b. al-Ash’ath al-Sijistani al-Azdi, Sunan (Dar al-Fikr) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 1, p. 352, 1087
2- Ibid

was intended by the two adhans were the real adhan and the iqamah.(1)

This was the correct Sunnah. But, ‘Uthman ordered a “third” adhan, which was made near the marketplace. It was also called the “first adhan”, because it was placed before original adhan. Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (d. 311 H) records:

أن سلم بن جناده حدثنا : و کیع عن ابن أبی ذئب عن الزهری عن السائب بن یزید قال کان الأذان علی رسول الله صلی الله علیه و سلم أبی بکر و عمر أذانین یوم الجمعه حتی کان زمن عثمان فکثر الناس فأمر بالأذان الأول بالزوراء

Salam b. Junadah – Waki’ – Ibn Abi Dhaib – al-Zuhri – al-Saib b. Yazid:

“The adhan during the times of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar were two adhans on Friday. This remained until the time of ‘Uthman when the population grew. So, he ordered the FIRST adhan at al-Zawra.”(2)

Al-Albani comments:

إسناده صحیح

Its chain is sahih(3)

Al-Mubarakfuri also explains:

قال الحافظ فی روایه وکیع عن ابن أبی ذئب فأمر عثمان بالأذان الأول ونحوه للشافعی من هذا الوجه ولا منافاه بینهما لأنه باعتبار کونه مزیدا یسمی ثالثا وباعتبار کونه جعل مقدما علی الأذان والإقامه یسمی أولا

Al-Hafiz said: In the riwayah of Waki’ from Ibn Abi Dhaib, it is narrated that “‘Uthman ordered the first adhan.” Al-Shafi’i transmitted a similar thing from this route. There is no contradiction between the two: because it was an addition, it was called the third (adhan); and because it was made before the adhan and iqamah, it was called

p: 172


1- Abu al-‘Ala Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Mubarakfuri, Tuhfat al-Ahwazi bi Sharh Jami’ al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1410 H), vol. 3, p. 39
2- Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Ishaq b. Khuzaymah al-Sulami al-Naysaburi, Sahih (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islami; 1390 H) [annotators: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani and Dr. Muhammad Mustafa al-A’zami], vol. 3, p. 137, 1774
3- Ibid

the first (adhan).(1)

Meanwhile, some top ‘ulama of the Ahl al-Sunnah have identified ‘Uthman’s new adhan as an “innovation”. Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah (d. 235 H) documents one such testimony:

حدثنا ابن علیه عن برد عن الزهری قال کان الأذان عند خروج الامام فأحدث أمیر المؤمنین عثمان التأذینه الثالثه علی الزوراء لیجتمع الناس.

Ibn ‘Ulayyah – Burd:

Al-Zuhri said, “The adhan used to be made when the Imam came out (into the mosque). But, the Commander of the Believers ‘Uthman INNOVATED the third adhan which was made at al-Zawra to gather the people.(2)

Al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) says about the first narrator:

إسماعیل بن إبراهیم بن مقسم الأسدی مولاهم أبو بشر البصری المعروف بابن علیه ثقه حافظ

Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Miqsam al-Asadi, their freed slave, Abu Bishr al-Basri, well-known as Ibn ‘Ulayyah: Thiqah (trustworthy), a hadith scientist.(3)

And concerning the main narrator, he further states:

برد بن سنان أبو العلاء الدمشقی نزیل البصره مولی قریش صدوق رمی بالقدر

Burd b. Sinan, Abu al-‘Ala al-Dimashqi, he resided in Basra, freed slave of Quraysh: Saduq (very truthful), he was accused of believing in fatalism.(4)

So, the sanad is hasan. Al-Zuhri himself was a grand Sunni Imam, as testified by Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H):

محمد بن مسلم بن عبید الله بن عبد الله بن شهاب بن عبد الله بن الحارث بن زهره بن کلاب بن مره بن کعب بن لؤی بن غالب، الامام العلم، حافظ زمانه أبو بکر القرشی الزهری المدنی نزیل الشام .روی عن ابن عمر، وجابر بن عبد الله شیئا قلیلا، ویحتمل أن یکون سمع منهما، وأن یکون رأی أبا هریره،

p: 173


1- Ibid
2- ‘Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Abi Shaybah Ibrahim b. ‘Uthman b. Abi Bakr b. Abi Shaybah al-Kufi al-‘Ubsi, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah fi al-Ahadith wa al-Athar (Dar al-Fikr; 1st edition, 1409 H) [annotator: Prof. Sa’id al-Laham], vol. 2, p. 48, 6
3- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 90, 417
4- Ibid, vol. 1, p. 123, 654

وغیره

Muhammad b. Muslim b. ‘Ubayd Allah b. ‘Abd Allah b. Shihab b. ‘Abd Allah b. al-Harith b. Zuhrah b. Kilab b. Murrah b. Ka’b b. Luayy b. Ghalib, the Imam of knowledge, the hadith master of his time, Abu Bakr, al-Qurshi, al-Zuhri, al-Madani, he lived in Syria. He narrated a few things from Ibn ‘Umar and Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah. So, it is possible that he heard from them both, and that he saw Abu Hurayrah and others.(1)

This huge Imam named ‘Uthman’s action an innovation.

Besides, Ibn Abi Shaybah has an even more important athar for us:

حدثنا شبابه قال حدثنا هشام بن الغاز عن نافع عن ابن عمر قال الأذان الأول یوم الجمعه بدعه.

Shubabah – Hisham b. al-Ghaz – Nafi’ – Ibn ‘Umar:

“The first adhan on Friday is a bid’ah.”(2)

Al-Hafiz says about the first narrator:

شبابه بن سوار المدائنی أصله من خراسان یقال کان اسمه مروان مولی بنی فزاره ثقه حافظ رمی بالإرجاء

Shubabah b. Sawar al-Madaini, his origin was Khurasan. It is said that his (real) name was Marwan, freed slave of Banu Fazarah: Thiqah (trustworthy), a hadith scientist, accused of believing in al-irja.(3)

What about the second? Al-Hafiz submits:

هشام بن الغاز بن ربیعه الجرشی بضم الجیم وفتح الراء بعدها معجمه الدمشقی نزیل بغداد ثقه

Hisham b. al-Ghaz al-Jurashi al-Dimashqi, he lived in Baghdad: Thiqah (trustworthy).(4)

The last narrator is like that too, according to al-Hafiz:

نافع أبو عبد الله المدنی مولی ابن عمر ثقه ثبت فقیه مشهور

Nafi’, Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Madani, freed slave of Ibn ‘Umar: Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate), a well-known jurist.(5)

As such,

p: 174


1- Shams al-Din Muhammad b. Ahmad b. ‘Uthman al-Dhahabi, Siyar A’lam al-Nubala (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 1413 H) [annotator of the fifth volume: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 5, p. 326, 160
2- ‘Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Abi Shaybah Ibrahim b. ‘Uthman b. Abi Bakr b. Abi Shaybah al-Kufi al-‘Ubsi, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah fi al-Ahadith wa al-Athar (Dar al-Fikr; 1st edition, 1409 H) [annotator: Prof. Sa’id al-Laham], vol. 2, p. 48, 3
3- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, p. 410, 2741
4- Ibid, vol. 2, p. P. 268, 7331
5- Ibid, vol. 2, p. 239, 7111

the chain is sahih. Ibn ‘Umar, a prominent Sahabi, described ‘Uthman’s new adhan as a bid’ah.

Ibn Abi Shaybah has recorded a mutaba’ah as well:

حدثنا وکیع قال حدثنا بن الغاز قال سألت نافعا مولی ابن عمر عن الأذان الأول یوم الجمعه فقال :قال ابن عمر :بدعه.

Waki’ – Ibn al-Ghaz:

I asked Nafi’, the freed slave of Ibn ‘Umar, about the first adhan on Friday. He replied, “Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘It is a bid’ah’”.(1)

The only new name here is Waki, and this is what al-Hafiz says about him:

وکیع بن الجراح بن ملیح الرؤاسی بضم الراء وهمزه ثم مهمله، أبو سفیان الکوفی ثقه حافظ عابد

Waki’ b. al-Jarah b. Malih al-Ruwasi, Abu Sufyan al-Kufi: Thiqah (trustworthy), a hadith scientist, a devout worshipper of Allah.(2)

So, this chain too is sahih.

However, al-Mubarakfuri thinks he has a defence for ‘Uthman:

وروی ابن أبی شیبه من طریق ابن عمر قال الأذان الأول یوم الجمعه بدعه فیحتمل أن یکون قال ذلک علی سبیل الانکار ویحتمل أنه یرید أنه لم یکن فی زمن النبی صلی الله علیه وسلم وکل ما لم یکن فی زمنه یسمی بدعه لکن منها ما یکون حسنا ومنها ما یکون بخلاف ذلک وتبین بما مضی أن عثمان أحدثه لإعلام الناس بدخول وقت الصلاه

Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded through the route of Ibn ‘Umar that he said, “The first adhan on Friday is a bid’ah.” It is possible that he said that to express disapproval, and it is possible that he intended that it did not exist during the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and whatsoever did

p: 175


1- ‘Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Abi Shaybah Ibrahim b. ‘Uthman b. Abi Bakr b. Abi Shaybah al-Kufi al-‘Ubsi, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah fi al-Ahadith wa al-Athar (Dar al-Fikr; 1st edition, 1409 H) [annotator: Prof. Sa’id al-Laham], vol. 2, p. 48, 7
2- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 2, p. pp. 283-284, 7441

not exist during his time is called a bid’ah. However, some of them (i.e. the bid’ahs) are good and some are not. And it is clear from the previous discussion that ‘Uthman INNOVATED it to announce the arrival of the time of the Salat to the people.(1)

So, it was after all only a “good” bid’ah, a “good” innovation. Really?! But, how can that be, considering these words of the Messenger of Allah, documented by Imam al-Nasai:

شر الأمور محدثاتها وکل محدثه بدعه وکل بدعه ضلاله وکل ضلاله فی النار

The worst of the (religious) affairs are their innovations, and every innovation is a bid’ah, and every bid’ah is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.(2)

Al-Albani says:

صحیح

Sahih(3)

‘Uthman’s invention was an “innovation” and a “bid’ah”. It was therefore a “misguidance”, which led its inventor and followers into the Fire.

Meanwhile, another innovator among the Sahabah was also Mu’awiyah b. Abi Sufyan. Imam al-Mubarakfuri confirms:

وروی ابن أبی شیبه فی المصنف بإسناد صحیح عن ابن المسیب قال أول من أحدث الأذان فی العید معاویه

Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded in al-Musannaf with a sahih chain from Ibn al-Musayyab that he said: “The first to INNOVATE the azan during the ‘Eid (prayers) was Mu’awiyah.”(4)

His comrade-in-arms against Imam ‘Ali was an innovator too. Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah documents her testimony:

حدثنا أبو أسامه حدثنا إسماعیل بن أبی خالد عن قیس قال قالت عائشه لما حضرتها الوفاه ادفنونی مع أزواج النبی صلی الله علیه وسلم فإنی کنت أحدث بعده.

Abu Usamah – Isma’il b. Abi Khalid – Qays:

When she was about to die,

p: 176


1- Abu al-‘Ala Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Mubarakfuri, Tuhfat al-Ahwazi bi Sharh Jami’ al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1410 H), vol. 3, p. 40
2- Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Ahmad b. Shu’ayb al-Nasai, al-Mujtaba min al-Sunan (Halab: Maktab Matbu’at al-Islamiyyah; 2nd edition, 1406 H) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 3, p. 188, 1578
3- Ibid
4- Abu al-‘Ala Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Mubarakfuri, Tuhfat al-Ahwazi bi Sharh Jami’ al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1410 H), vol. 3, p. 62

‘Aishah said, “Bury me with the wives of the Prophet, peace be upon him, for I had INNOVATED after him.”(1)

And:

حدثنا أبو أسامه قال حدثنا إسماعیل عن قیس قال: قالت عائشه لما حضرتها الوفاه: ادفنونی مع أزواج النبی علیه السلام فإنی کنت أحدثت بعده حدثا.

Abu Usamah – Isma’il – Qays:

When she was about to die, ‘Aishah said, “Bury me with the wives of the Prophet, peace be upon him, for I had INNOVATED a heresy after him.”(2)

Al-Hafiz says about the first narrator:

حماد بن أسامه القرشی مولاهم الکوفی أبو أسامه مشهور بکنیته ثقه ثبت ربما دلس وکان بأخره یحدث من کتب غیره

Hammad b. Usamah al-Qurshi, their freed slave, al-Kufi, Abu Usamah, well-known with his kunya: Thiqah (trustworthy), accurate, perhaps did tadlis. During the end of his life, he used to narrate from the books of others.(3)

His probable tadlis is inconsequential here, as he has narrated with explicit tahdith. He stated that he literally heard the athar from the mouth of Isma’il. Concerning Isma’il himself, al-Hafiz states:

إسماعیل بن أبی خالد الأحمسی مولاهم البجلی ثقه ثبت

Isma’il b. Abi Khalid al-Ahmasi, their freed slave, al-Bajali: Thiqah (trustworthy), accurate.(4)

And finally, he has this verdict about the last narrator:

قیس بن أبی حازم البجلی أبو عبد الله الکوفی ثقه

Qays b. Abi Hazim al-Bajali, Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Kufi: Thiqah (trustworthy).(5)

Therefore, the report is perfectly sahih. Imam al-Hakim (d. 403 H) also records:

حدثنا أبو العباس محمد بن یعقوب ثنا أبو البحتری عبد الله بن محمد بن بشر العبدی ثنا إسماعیل بن أبی خالد عن قیس بن أبی حازم قال قالت

p: 177


1- ‘Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Abi Shaybah Ibrahim b. ‘Uthman b. Abi Bakr b. Abi Shaybah al-Kufi al-‘Ubsi, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah fi al-Ahadith wa al-Athar (Dar al-Fikr; 1st edition, 1409 H) [annotator: Prof. Sa’id al-Laham], vol. 3, p. 230, 4
2- Ibid, vol. 8, p. 708, 16
3- Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 1, pp. 236-237, 1492
4- Ibid, vol. 1, p. 93, 439
5- Ibid, vol. 2, p. 32, 5583

عائشه رضی عنها : وکانت تحدث نفسها أن تدفن فی بیتها مع رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم وأبی بکر فقالت : إنی أحدثت بعد رسول الله صلی الله علیه وسلم حدثا أدفنونی مع أزواجه فدفنت بالبقیع

Abu al-‘Abbas Muhammad b. Ya’qub – Abu al-Bahtari ‘Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Bishr al-‘Abdi – Isma’il b. Abi Khalid – Qays b. Abi Hazim:

‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her - and she used to tell herself to be buried in her house with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and Abu Bakr - said: “I INNOVATED a heresy after the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, Bury me with his wives.” So, she was buried at al-Baqi’.(1)

Al-Hakim comments:

هذا حدیث صحیح علی شرط الشیخین

This hadith is sahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.(2)

And, Imam al-Dhahabi concurs with him:

علی شرط البخاری ومسلم

Upon the standard of al-Bukhari and Muslim.(3)

Obviously, the list of innovations and bid’ahs by various Sahabah, including some of their most senior, is endless. We have merely quoted a very tiny number of examples in order to prevent our book from getting too big. Moreover, we believe that the few examples we have given have sufficiently served our purpose.

One of the truly incredible fallacies we experience from some of our Sunni brothers is how they quote the athar below – from Musnad Ahmad – in “retaliation” when we show them some of the aforementioned Sunni ahadith about the innovations of the various Sahabah:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی وهب بن بقیه

p: 178


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1411 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 4, p. 7, 6717
2- Ibid
3- Ibid

الواسطی أخبرنا خالد بن عبد الله عن حصین عن المسیب بن عبد خیر عن أبیه قال قام علی فقال خیر هذه الأمه بعد نبیها أبو بکر وعمر وأنا قد أحدثنا بعدهم أحداثا یقضی الله تعالی فیها ما شاء

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – Wahb b. Baqiyyah al-Wasiti – Khalid b. ‘Abd Allah – Husayn – al-Musayyab b. ‘Abd Khayr – his father:

‘Ali stood and said, “The best of this Ummah after its Prophet are Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. And we have innovated heresies after them. Allah the Most High will decide concerning them (i.e. the heresies) whatever He wills.”(1)

Al-Arnaut comments:

إسناده صحیح

Its chain is sahih.(2)

We also read:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثنی أبو بحر عبد الواحد البصری ثنا أبو عوانه عن خالد بن علقمه عن عبد خیر قال قال علی رضی الله عنه لما فرغ من أهل البصره إن خیر هذه الأمه بعد نبیها صلی الله علیه و سلم أبو بکر وبعد أبی بکر عمر وأحدثنا أحداثا یصنع الله فیها ما شاء

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – Abu Bahr ‘Abd al-Wahid al-Basri – Abu ‘Awanah – Khalid b. ‘Alqamah – ‘Abd Khayr:

‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, after finishing with the people of Basra, said: “Verily, the best of this Ummah after its Prophet, peace be upon him, is Abu Bakr, and after Abu Bakr it is ‘Umar. And we have innovated heresies, concerning which Allah will do whatever He wills.”(3)

Al-Arnaut again says:

إسناده صحیح

Its chain is sahih.(4)

The apparent aim of quoting these reports is to “prove” that Amir al-Muminin too was also an innovator.

p: 179


1- Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 1, p. 115, 926 and vol. 1, p. 125, 1032
2- Ibid
3- Ibid, vol. 1, p. 125, 1031
4- Ibid

But, who exactly are these people attempting to convince? Is it their Sunni brethren or the Shi’ah? If it is the Shi’ah, then their case is absolutely hopeless. The author of the book, Ahmad b. Hanbal, is majhul al-hal according to Shi’i rijal(1).

Therefore, everything in his entire book is dha’if by default, from the sanad point of view. His son too, the transmitter of the athar, is muhmal (untraceable), with no entry in our rijal books.(2) ‘Abd al-Khayr, main narrator, is majhul as well(3). The various other narrators in the two chains of the report are equally dha’if. So, it is extremely dha’if, in fact mawdu’ (fabricated). No wonder, Grand Ayatullah al-Tustari says:

ثم إن الذهبی نقل روایتهم عنه، عن المسیب بن عبد خیر، عن أبیه سمع علیا یقول: ألا أن خیر هذه الأمه بعد نبیها أبو بکر وعمر .ولابد أنهم وضعوها علیه.

Then, al-Dhahabi quoted their report from him, from al-Musayyab b. ‘Abd Khayr, from his father, that he heard ‘Ali saying: “Verily, the best of this Ummah after its Prophet are Abu Bakr and ‘Umar.” There is NO doubt that they fabricated it and attributed it to him.(4)

So, by Shi’i rijali standards, the riwayah is mawdu’ (fabricated), and therefore is completely worthless to or against the Shi’ah.

But then, it is equally weak by Sunni standards. It contradicts Hadith al-Thaqalayn, Hadith al-Khalifatayn and a lot of other sahih ahadith(5). Meanwhile, Hadith al-Thaqalayn alone – with its several, distinct sahih and hasan chains - is far more authentic than it. As

p: 180


1- Muhammad al-Jawahiri, al-Mufid min Mu’jam al-Rijal al-Hadith (Qum: Manshurat Maktabah al-Mahalati; 2nd edition, 1424 H), p. 42, 855
2- ‘Ali al-Namazi al-Shahrudi, Mustadrakat ‘Ilm Rijal al-Hadith (Tehran: Haydari; 1st edition, 1414 H), vol. 4, p. 475, 8043
3- Muhammad al-Jawahiri, al-Mufid min Mu’jam al-Rijal al-Hadith (Qum: Manshurat Maktabah al-Mahalati; 2nd edition, 1424 H), p. 306, 6304
4- Muhammad Taqi al-Tustari, Qamus al-Rijal (Qum: Muasassat al-Nashr al-Islami; 1st edition, 1422 H), vol. 11, p. 165, 8553
5- We have investigated a lot of them in both our previous books: ‘Ali: The Best of the Sahabah and On the Khilafah of ‘Ali over Abu Bakr.

such, the athar of ‘Abd Khayr above has a munkar (repugnant) matn (text) on account of its inconsistency with a more reliable report, and is therefore dha’if.

Besides, it is authentically narrated in Sahih Muslim – as we have already quoted in this book – that ‘Ali considered both Abu Bakr and ‘Umar to be dishonest liars and traitors.

How then would he have declared such people to be the best of this Ummah?! Amir al-Muminin was far more reasonable than that.

In all, we see that the warning of our dear Prophet – that following the Ahl al-Bayt prevents from misguidance – has full merit. Those Sahabah who refused to obey Hadith al-Thaqalayn later deviated from the Right Path, and became innovators. If they had chosen the offspring of Muhammad as their masters and supreme guides after him, they certainly would have remained upon the Kitab and the Sunnah, in line with the assurance in Hadith al-Thaqalayn. We too should learn from this costly mistake of the Sahabah, and set straight our Path to Allah till death.

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49. Abu Zakariyyah Yahya b. Sharaf al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-‘Arabi; 1407 H)

50. Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, al-Matalib al-‘Aliyah bi Zawaid al-Masanid al-Thamaniyyah (Riyadh: Dar al-‘Asimah; 1st edition, 1420 H) [annotator: ‘Abd Allah b. Ẓafir b. ‘Abd Allah al-Shahri]

51. Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata]

52. Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani al-Shafi’i, Hadi al-Sari Muqaddimah Fath al-Bari (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi; 4th edition, 1408 H)

53. Ahmad b. Abi Bakr b. Isma’il al-Busiri, Itihaf al-Khiyarah al-Maharah bi Zawaid al-Masanid al-‘Ashra (Riyadh: Dar al-Watan; 1st edition, 1420 H)

54. Al-Qadi Abu al-Fadhl ‘Iyad b. Musa b. ‘Iyad al-Yahsubi al-Sibti al-Maliki, Mashariq al-Anwar ‘ala Sihah al-Athar (al-Maktabah al-‘Atiqah and Dar al-Turath)

55. Al-Qadhi Abu Ishaq Isma’il b. Ishaq b. Isma’il b. Hammad b. Zayd al-Azdi al-Basri al-Baghdadi al-Maliki al-Jahdhami, Fadhl Salat ‘ala al-Nabi (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islami; 3rd edition, 1397 H) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani]

56. Dr. Rohi Baalbaki, al-Mawrid: A Modern Arabic-English Dictionary (Beirut: Dar al-‘Ilm li al-Malayin; 7th edition, 1995 CE)

57. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, ‘Ismat al-Anbiya (1406 H)

58. Hans Wehr, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, ed. J. Milton Cowan (Ithaca, New York: Spoken Languages Services; 3rd edition, 1976 CE)

59. Hasan b. ‘Ali al-Saqqaf al-Qurashi al-Hashimi al-Husayni, Sahih Sharh al-‘Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah (Amman: Dar Imam al-Nawawi; 1st edition, 1416

p: 186

H)

60. Hasan b. ‘Ali al-Saqqaf al-Qurashi al-Hashimi al-Husayni, Sahih Sharh al-‘Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah (Amman: Dar Imam al-Nawawi; 1st edition, 1416 H)

61. Ibn al-Athir, Abu Sa’adat al-Mubarak b. Muhammad al-Jazari, al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith wa al-Athar (Qum: Muasassat Isma’iliyyan) [annotator: Mahmud Muhammad al-Tanahi and Tahir Ahmad al-Zawi]

62. Jamal al-Din Abu al-Hajjaj Yusuf al-Mizzi, Tahdhib al-Kamal fi Asma al-Rijal (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 2nd edition, 1413 H)

63. Muhammad al-Jawahiri, al-Mufid min Mu’jam al-Rijal al-Hadith (Qum: Manshurat Maktabah al-Mahalati; 2nd edition, 1424 H)

64. Muhammad b. Ahmad b. ‘Uthman al-Dhahabi, Tadhkirat al-Huffaz (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1419 H) [annotator: Zakariyyah ‘Umayrat]

65. Muhammad b. Ibrahim al-Wazir al-Yamani, al-‘Awasim wa al-Qawasim fi al-Dhabb ‘an Sunnah Abi al-Qasim (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 2nd edition, 1416 H) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut]

66. Muhammad b. Yusuf al-Salihi al-Shami, Subul al-Huda al-Rashad fi Sirah Khayr al-‘Ibad (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1414 H) [annotators: ‘Adil Ahmad ‘Abd al-Mawjud and ‘Ali Muhammad Ma’ud]

67. Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Asl Sifat al-Salat al-Nabi (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma’arif li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1427 H)

68. Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Dha’ifah wa al-Mawdhu’ah wa Atharihah al-Sayyiah fi al-Ummah (Riyadh: Dar al-Ma’arif; 1st edition, 1412 H)

69. Muhammad Taqi al-Tustari, Qamus al-Rijal (Qum: Muasassat al-Nashr al-Islami; 1st edition, 1422 H)

70. Muhibb al-Din Abu Faydh Sayyid Muhammad Murtadha al-Husayni al-Wasiti al-Zubaydi al-Hanafi, Taj al-‘Urus min Jawahir al-Qamus (Beirut: Dar al-Fikr; 1414 H)

71. Mulla Huwaysh Al Ghazi ‘Abd al-Qadir, Bayan al-Ma’ani (Damascus: Matbu’at al-Turki; 1382 H)

72. Muslim b. al-Hajjaj, al-Kuna wa al-Asma (Madinah al-Munawwarah: al-Jami’ah

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al-Islamiyyah; 1st edition, 1404 H) [annotator: ‘Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Ahmad al-Qushqari]

73. Nur al-Din ‘Ali b. Abi Bakr al-Haythami, Majma’ al-Zawaid (Beirut: Dar al-Fikr; 1412 H)

74. Prof. Dr. Hikmat b. Bashir b. Yasin, Mawsu’at al-Sahih al-Masbur min al-Tafsir bi al-Mathur (Madinah: Dar al-Mathar li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’ wa al-Taba’at; 1st edition, 1420 H)

75. Shams al-Din Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Ahmad b. al-Dhahabi al-Dimashqi, al-Kashif fi Ma’rifat Man Lahu Riwayat fi al-Kutub al-Sittah (Jeddah: Dar al-Qiblah li al-Thaqafat al-Islamiyyah; 1st edition, 1413 H)

76. Shams al-Din Muhammad b. Ahmad b. ‘Uthman al-Dhahabi, Siyar A’lam al-Nubala (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 9th edition, 1413 H)

77. Shams al-Din Muhammad b. Ahmad b. ‘Uthman al-Dhahabi, Tarikh al-Islam wa Wafiyat al-Mashahir wa al-A’lam (Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-‘Arabi; 1st edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. ‘Umar ‘Abd al-Salam Tadmuri]

78. Shihab al-Din Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Fath al-Bari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari (Beirut: Dar al-Ma’rifah li al-Taba’ah wa al-Nashr; 2nd edition)

p: 188

About center

In the name of Allah

هَلْیَسْتَوِیالَّذِینَیَعْلَمُونَوَالَّذِینَلَایَعْلَمُونَ
Are those who know equal to those who do not know?
al-Zumar: 9

Introduction:
Ghaemiyeh Computer Research Institute of Isfahan, from 2007, under the authority of Ayatollah Haj SayyedHasanFaqihImami (God blesses his soul), by sincere and daily efforts of university and seminary elites and sophisticated groups began its activities in religious, cultural and scientific fields.

Manifesto:
Ghaemiyeh Computer Research Institute of Isfahan in order to facilitate and accelerate the accessibility of researchers to the books and tools of research, in the field of Islamic science, and regarding the multiplicity and dispersion of active centers in this field
and numerous and inaccessible sources by a mere scientific intention and far from any kind of social, political, tribal and personal prejudices and currents, based on performing a project in the shape of (management of produced and published works from all Shia centers) tries to provide a rich and free collection of books and research papers for the experts, and helpful contents and discussions for the educated generation and all classes of people interested in reading, with various formats in the cyberspace.
Our Goals are:
-propagating the culture and teachings of Thaqalayn (Quran and Ahlulbayt p.b.u.t)
-encouraging the populace particularly the youth in investigating the religious issues
-replacing useful contents with useless ones in the cellphones, tablets and computers
-providing services for seminary and university researchers
-spreading culture study in the publich
-paving the way for the publications and authors to digitize their works

Policies:
-acting according to the legal licenses
-relationship with similar centers
-avoiding parallel working
-merely presenting scientific contents
-mentioning the sources
It’s obvious that all the responsibilities are due to the author.

Other activities of the institute:
-Publication of books, booklets and other editions
-Holding book reading competitions
-Producing virtual, three dimensional exhibitions, panoramas of religious and tourism places
-Producing animations, computer games and etc.
-Launching the website with this address: www.ghaemiyeh.com
-Fabricatingdramatic and speech works
-Launching the system of answering religious, ethical and doctrinal questions
-Designing systems of accounting, media and mobile, automatic and handy systems, web kiosks
-Holding virtual educational courses for the public
-Holding virtual teacher-training courses
-Producing thousands of research software in three languages (Persian, Arabic and English) which can be performed in computers, tablets and cellphones and available and downloadable with eight international formats: JAVA, ANDROID, EPUB, CHM, PDF, HTML, CHM, GHB on the website
-Also producing four markets named “Ghaemiyeh Book Market” with Android, IOS, WINDOWS PHONE and WINDOWS editions
Appreciation:
We would appreciate the centers, institutes, publications, authors and all honorable friends who contributed their help and data to us to reach the holy goal we follow.

Address of the central office:
Isfahan, Abdorazaq St, Haj Mohammad JafarAbadei Alley, Shahid Mohammad HasanTavakkoly Alley, Number plate 129, first floor
Website: www.ghbook.ir
Email: Info@ghbook.ir
Central office Tel: 03134490125
Tehran Tel: 88318722 ـ 021
Commerce and sale: 09132000109
Users’ affairs: 09132000109

Introduction of the Center – Ghaemiyeh Digital Library